Russert catches Cheney lying about Iraq and Al Qaeda on Meet the Press

[kpete]

Cheney Ignores Senate Intel Report, Cites Zarqawi As Evidence of Iraq/Al Qaeda Connection

On Friday, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a report http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/08/AR2006090800777.html that concluded there was no relationship between Saddam Hussein and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. According to the report, “a CIA assessment in October 2005 concluded that Hussein’s government ‘did not have a relationship, harbor, or turn a blind eye toward Zarqawi and his associates.’” In fact, Hussein tried to capture Zarqawi.

This morning on Meet the Press, Cheney repeatedly cited Zarqawi as the link between pre-war Iraq and al-Qaeda. When Tim Russert mentioned the Senate Intelligence Committee report, Cheney said he “hadn’t seen it.

VIDEO: http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/10/cheney-cites-zarqawi/

Transcript:

CHENEY: You’ve got Iraq and Al Qaeda, testimony from the Director of C.I.A. that there was indeed a relationship — Zarqawi in baghdad. et cetera. Then the

RUSSERT: The committee said there was no relationship. in fact saddam —

CHENEY: I haven’t seen the report. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet.

RUSSERT: But Mr. Vice President the bottom line is…

CHENEY: We know that Zarqawi running the terrost camp in Afghanistan prior to 9/11. After we went in after 9/11, then fled and went to Baghdad and set up operations in Baghdad in the spring of 2002 and was there and then basically until the time we launched into Iraq.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/09/russert-catches-cheney-lying-about.html

[spanone]

1. The arrogance of that bastard to tell us he hadn't read it. Bullshit.

He's the fucking vice president and he didn't read a report that went entirely against the grain of what he said. He's a bigger liar than I thought.
Fuck you cheney.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. sorry, but he is telling the truth

he did NOT read it. He had an aide read it to him, distill it and get marching orders to prepare him for his TV appearance.
So, he is not lying. really. just not telling the whole truth, as usual.

[lyonn]

2. Divert and deny facts is what Cheney is doing in front of

the American people. He is such a work of ugly art. He is giving ammo to the Dems in this latest episode on Tim's show. Keep the lying up Cheney!

[TahitiNut]

27. The corrupt, lying bastard should be repeatedly placed under oath

... and interrogated on ALL of these questions and imprisoned for the constant, unremitting LIES. Instead of "press" interviews, which presume some modicum of honesty, these people should be forced to give sworn testimony to the public regarding their criminal acts.

There has NEVER been anything approaching as dishonest and corrupt a cabal of criminals in the Executive Branch, and we've had some pretty bad actors. These people are beyond anything before seen by an order of magnitude. It's stunning that millions haven't stormed Washington with hot tar and bags of feathers. We're goddamned, complacent fools in this country. We don't deserve to have a democracy.

[Bitwit1234]

3. Cheney lying, what's new??

What I find amazing is are these newsreaders so afraid of their butt they can't go after someone when they know they are lying.

Here we have a person who is supposed to be the vice president of the country. He is constantly saying that the terrorist were connected to Saddam. He cites the incidents etc. but....get this....when it comes to a very important document about the fight in Iraq, about Saddam and the terrorist he says he hasn't read it...What in the hell is he doing on a program discussing this very topic if he has not read a report that lays the whole situation out in front of him. Ridiculous flat out lie.

[Jack Rabbit]

14. I think what's new is that Russert called in on it

even in a kinda, sorta way.

The media has a lot of catching up to do. When the hisotry of the Bush Regime is written, the media will be seen as willing tools of propaganda, a privatized Pravda.

But now that he's down in the polls adn a Democratic takeover of at least one house of Congress a near certainty, these brave, crusading journalists are finding the courage to ask the questions they should have asked all along.

It's a bit like Aesop's tale of the animals coming to kick the dying lion.

[donheld]

26. How do you know he lies? what you saw his lips move?

Welcome to DU Bitwit1234 :hi:

[indypaul]

4. Anytime his lips move is a much easier observation. n/t

[rfranklin]

5. He's so used to getting away with the lies...

Highly unlikely that he didn't know about that report. He didn't expert Russert to veer from the party line.

[dogday]

6. Did he say we are in the last throes of the

insurgency again? Freaking liar

[abluelady]

7. It is easier to lie than to read.

If he read it, he would also have to "think" up new lies. We know how hard it is for repukes to think.

[DeSwiss]

8. Fled???

"We know that Zarqawi running the terrorist camp in Afghanistan prior to 9/11. After we went in after 9/11, then fled and went to Baghdad and set up operations in Baghdad in the spring of 2002 and was there and then basically until the time we launched into Iraq."

So now we went to Baghdad because Zarqawi fled there? Not because Saddam had WMD and was bent on launching them against us? And just how did Zarqawi flee so easily? He didn't get away so easily due to a failure of ground troops receiving additional support and an authorization for military pursuit from commanders at Tora Bora did he? Or was that a political decision not to pursue at Tora Bora that you made in order to keep all this going as planned?

Oh, by the way, when's the last time you heard from Osama?

[Marr]

9. He's lying of course- but even if he weren't, "I haven't read the report"

is NOT an excuse. It's an admission of supreme incompetence and unconcern.

He's the VP, and he's setting alot of the US foreign policy. He can't be bothered to read a Senate report on the subject, or at least have it summarized for him...? I'm sick of this, "I haven't read that" line. It's not an excuse.

[leesa]

12. It is when you want to go on teevee and say the opposite.

The Bushbots just heard that there were connections, once again.

[seabeyond]

10. in the far north eat part of iraq that was off limits to saddam. right

next to iran. and they had three chances to kill the man (they really really did unlike clinton and bin laden) but chose not to cause it might interfer with the war.

so hard remembering all the particulars on these guys. there is just so much

[elehhhhna]

11. Haven't read this, or that, or the August PDB, or etc. ad nauseum

WTF do these morons do all day?

[niallmac]

15. He hasn't read what the nation has read?

How conveeeeeeenient.

[elehhhhna]

22. Hey! He's a busy man. He can catch up on his reading in his cell at the

Hague.

[Chalco]

13. Of course Cheney hadn't "read" it, but no doubt staff summarized

it for him and he CHOSE TO LIE on MTP. Did Tim ask if he knew about it, been informed about its conclusions? He chose to use the word "read." Of course he didn't "read" it.

[FloridaPat]

17. This has worked for these creeps for 5 years now. They scream and

yell louder and harder than anyone else and drown out all opposite views - especially the truth.

[Wisconsin Larry]

18. CHENEY: We know that Zarqawi running the terrorist camp in Afghanistan pri

to 9/11.

A quick fact check reveals the following from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/09/AR2006060902040_2.html

"Zarqawi accepted al-Qaeda money to set up his own training camp in Afghanistan, they said, but he ran it independently. While bin Laden was preparing the Sept. 11 hijacking plot, Zarqawi was focused elsewhere, scheming to topple the Jordanian monarchy and attack Israel."

And from the same source, Zarqawi fled to Baghdad? Apparently not.

"After Sept. 11, with al-Qaeda's leadership on the run from U.S. forces, Zarqawi and his fighters moved into Iran and later into Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Iraq. Zarqawi maintained his independence at first. But after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, he played up his affiliation with al-Qaeda's core leadership when it served his purposes, analysts said. He formally swore loyalty to bin Laden in October 2004 and changed the name of his Monotheism and Jihad network to al-Qaeda in Iraq."

It shouldn't be so hard for Corporate Media to start a "here's what they say" and here are the facts.
Maybe if they weren't so corporate...

[lyonn]

30. Yup, bushco knew before attacking Iraq that Zarqawi was there

in the Kurdish zone. Not one bomb was dropped on that area as far as we have heard, why? Hell, he was the only terrorist in the country?

Well, this a.m., Tues. the news is of full of how 1/3 of Iraq is basicly held by the bad guys and we (U.S.A.) are barely holding our ground, or as reporter Ware said, just making the best out of a bad situation by grouping our "few" troops (probably Marines) in specific areas and hoping for the best. In other words trying to keep our men alive and trying to hold their ground. Ugh - We are losing big time.

Then in Afghanistan thing are certainly getting worse. The Taliban is taking over once again. They are acting like they are fighting Russia again only with our training from that era.

Just when we think bush couldn't make things worse, he does. This coming election may be a saving situation for the world if those bastards get their butts thrown out of Congress that are rubber stamping bushco. Then comes the question of how can this mess we are in get fixed?

[young_at_heart]

19. When, if ever, does Cheney tell the truth?

One would think his credibility would be practically zero by now.

[Roland99]

20. Zarqawi was running the camp in NORTHERN IRAQ before 9/11, eh?

What did Condi Rice say about this in July 2001???


"But in terms of Saddam Hussein being there, let's remember that his country is divided, in effect. He does not control the northern part of his country. We are able to keep arms from him. His military forces have not been rebuilt."

[smoogatz]

21. Funny, Condi said exactly the same shit on Faux Nooze Sunday

Check it out: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060910/ts_alt_afp/usattacksiraqqaedarice

In another zany coinkydink, she hasn't read that dang report either! Go figure!

[omega minimo]

23. Kick for Dick. Thanks Kpete. Comin up in Western time soon

cross posted to keep it kicked
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2098290&mesg_id=2098290

[kentuck]

24. Over and over and over...

Lie after lie after lie...

[gully]

25. Just last week Bush himself said "there was no connection."

:eyes:

[Martin Eden]

28. "contacts going back a decade"

Cheney also uttered the deceptive phrase that Saddam and al Qaeda had contacts going back ten years, making it sound like they've had a growing relationship for a decade. The fact is -- and Cheney knows this -- that the contacts a decade before the 2003 invasion were not sustained and, if anything, means the opposite of what he's trying to pass it off as.

Russert should not have let him get away with that one.

[symbolman]

29. Well then Mr Cheney

it would appear that YOU and HALLIBURTON have had more contact and time spent with IRAQ for business Purposes than AL Queda, isn't that true?

How do we know YOU didn't bomb us for gain?

I'd love to interview this bag of snot.