The Forged Iraqi Letter: What Just Happened?

What just happened? Evidence. A secret that has been judiciously kept for five years just spilled out. All of what follows is new, never reported in any way:

The Iraq Intelligence Chief, Tahir Jalil Habbush -- a man still carrying a $1 million reward for capture, the Jack of Diamonds in Bush's famous deck of wanted men -- has been America's secret source on Iraq. Starting in January of 2003, with Blair and Bush watching, his secret reports began to flow to officials on both sides of the Atlantic, saying that there were no WMD and that Hussein was acting so odd because of fear that the Iranians would find out he was a toothless tiger. The U.S. deep-sixed the intelligence report in February, "resettled" Habbush to a safe house in Jordan during the invasion and then paid him $5 million in what could only be considered hush money.

In the fall of 2003, after the world learned there were no WMD -- as Habbush had foretold -- the White House ordered the CIA to carry out a deception. The mission: create a handwritten letter, dated July, 2001, from Habbush to Saddam saying that Atta trained in Iraq before the attacks and the Saddam was buying yellow cake for Niger with help from a "small team from the al Qaeda organization."

The mission was carried out, the letter was created, popped up in Baghdad, and roiled the global newcycles in December, 2003 (conning even venerable journalists like Tom Brokaw). The mission is a statutory violation of the charter of the CIA, and amendments added in 1991, prohibiting the CIA from conducting disinformation campaigns on U.S. soil.

So, here we go again: the administration is in full attack mode, calling me names, George Tenet is claiming he doesn't remember any such thing -- just like he couldn't remember "slam dunk" -- and reporters are scratching their heads. Everything in my book is on the record, with many sources. And so, we watch and wait....

Comments

[w&cheneysuck]

None of this should come as a surprise to anyone. What still gets me is that J ohn Y oo just wrote an article about the Supreme Court and it gets published...OMG! Why is he still being published? Oh, right, the MSM is C O N S E R V A T I V E! This is a disgrace and no one is doing anything to hold anyone accountable....F A C I S M at its finest.

[onedivasinger]

And Karl Rove is a guest on CBS "Face The Nation." Ahhh...there is a great hush over Washington. Just as there has been on the truth for the past 8 years....

[Gma11]

Thank you.

BTW, I stil have my primarily white midwestern students read "A Hope in the Unseen" as part of their introductory sociology coursework.

[OrphanHaiku]

Here is an interesting bit of "circumstantial" evidence worth looking into. Just before the invastion of Iraq, UN weapons inspectors complained that US Intelligence was feeding them information that was "garbage."

This is from a CBS report, Feb. 20, 2003 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/18/iraq/main537096.shtmll].

"...U.N. arms inspectors are privately complaining about the quality of U.S. intelligence and accusing the United States of sending them on wild-goose chases...In fact, the U.S. claim that Iraq is developing missiles that could hit its neighbors – or U.S. troops in the region, or even Israel – is just one of the claims coming from Washington that inspectors here are finding increasingly unbelievable. The inspectors have become so frustrated trying to chase down unspecific or ambiguous U.S. leads that they've begun to express that anger privately in no uncertain terms.

"U.N. sources have told CBS News that American tips have lead to one dead end after another..."

Suskind noted that in January 2003, secret reports from Iraq Intelligence Chief, Tahir Jalil Habbush said there were no WMD and that Hussein was acting so odd because of fear that the Iranians would find out he was a toothless tiger.

A month later, in Febuary 2003, UN Inspectors complain of "garbage" tips from US Intelligence. Hmmm....So the question to investigate: Who was responsible for issuing those "garbage" tips and was that done on orders from the White House?

[bronceye]

The bad thing about this news is that it is being drowned out by news of John Edwards' 2 yr. old tryst. As they have sat on that news of infidelity for over a year, maybe Mr. Suskind has caused them to use their October surprise too early, leaving them nothing more than to claim Obama welcomes defeat in Iraq and will kill the elderly and feed them to small children. Hitler only said that Poland shot first. The neoconman ideology requires war as a mushroom requires darkness and manure. We must imprison all cabbies and chauffeurs if there is to be peace in the world.

[cheerleaderBush]

Yet another smoking gun (CONFIRMING the crimes/corruption of Bush/Cheney and their corrupt administration) intentionally dismissed or minimized by the MSM... and more proof that the MSM are not merely incompetent, on the contrary the MSM is in lock-step with the ruling elite... and their neglect and incompetence is actually self-serving.

Instead we're going to hear at least a week's worth of 24/7 coverage of the 'Edwards affair' - until that gives way to some other celebrity tabloid story. It's truly PATHETIC what is packaged as "news".

[PaHairO]

Yet more evidence, yet more nada.

We watch and wait ... because only one Democrat - only 1 relevant citizen - has been sufficiently offended by these miserable goons and their criminal actions to act.

Thank you, Dennis.

HOW MUCH CRIMINALITY IN THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND IS ENOUGH ?

Let me know, Democrats. Let me know when you're ready. When you think the time is right.

Let me know, "Journalists". Let me know when you think you might have a story.

[phyl48]

So, lets get this straight. The evidence comes out to start impeachment, and the House is on vacation. The news media is talking about Edwards and Paris Hilton. Oh and McCain is within
striking distance of Obama. I say, cancle your cable, unplug the TV, because nothing is going to
change. Anyone want to place a bet?

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

I fear that you may be correct.

[lennix]

the msm fail the american people and help cheney bush send people kids out to war do you have no shame and tom brokaw have stoop just as low and now they doing it again with mccain covering up his lies these are not americans if they wore the would not have put with this b.s and how can they sleep at night when they know what they did how low will they go sad day in american and if we put mccain in offices they we have no one to blame but our selfs

[nellie]

The tragedy of this news is that it comes as no surprise.

[trollsbwild]

Nothing this administration does should shock anyone. They used 9/11 to attack a sovereign nation that had nothing to do with it in the first place. Not to mention spying on its own citizens, dismanteling The Constitution all in the name of protecting us.
Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame, Richard Clarke, Scott McClellan, et. al. are all lying, don't you know? Add to this the GWB statement that "sometimes you have to push the propaganda..." , then the Suskind book does not seem the least bit far fetched.
Bushco had been caught in so many lies. Why should they be trusted?
Besides, they have really bungled the war on terror, anyway. More than likely on purpose, to keep the war going to line the pockets of their "friends".

[freebeer]

True enough, trollsbwild. Yet Nancy Pelosi still protects Bush from the rule of law, and Obama is NOT interested in impeachment, so here we are.

After almost eight years of Bush crimes, we all know the score. It is high time to be asking tough questions of our Democrats, and demanding that they do what is right.

The Green Party looks better with each passing day.

[BaltimoreSteve]

Where is the outrage from the press? Oh yea, they're covering Paris Hilton.

[Shashi0224]

The MSM is a disaster. They have failed us and also failed the world. Their lack of coverage of the horrors of this administration, while focusing on Paris, Brittany and infidelities, should be enough to show every American out there what a dangerous position our country is in. Propaganda, sound bites, spin - that's what we hear and see. How is it possible that each news station uses the same terms, dwells on the same non-stories all the time? If the MSM and their so called "journalists" don't report the real news, most Americans, unfortunately don't seek it out. That's the only way we could end up with another repulsive, republican administration and those bought and sold for corporate MSM mogels know that. Thinking human beings are compelled to vote Democratic. The same path is going to lead to the same destination, and that's not a good place. We have to change.
OBAMA '08!!

[SEQUOIABISON]

It took years and years for the Pentagon Papers to resonate with the electorate, this blatant deception by the administration will likely take just as long.

Unfortunately the republicans and their supporters are not that concerned with lying to the public to justify war and the horrific destruction of lives and property it brings with it.

They are much more concerned about winning, because as we all know the winners are never accountable for their murderous ways.

[Shashi0224]

That's so true. History isn't written by those who were right, it's written by those who are left to write it.
So, to the republicans, all that matters is winning so they can control the message. They don't give a hoot about truth or humanity. They only care about profit and winning. It's apparent in their hypocrisy.
Wake up America!!
OBAMA '08

[jpshotwheels]

This Administration or anyone that has been involved in it, uses the practice of demonizing the person that comes out against them. If you disagree with them you have to leave. If you don't give us the information we need, we will make up our own. This has been a consistant message from the White House for quite some time now. It not as if, stories similar have come out before, that they lied is into a War, so why is it so hard to believe that they would forge a document? I put nothing past these people, they are the root of evil, and will do anything to get there way.

I just hope that Congress investigates until the bitter end and give the American People, the Iraqi People, Afghanistantian people, our soldiers some justice for all the lives that have been lost because of them. Some justice for all the lives that have been disrupted because of them. So we can get back to some sort of balance of sanity in this Country, we have gone to a new level against our Moral Compasses.

[Krikkit]

Where's the letter, Ron?

[mamacat]

The total disregard for the truth that almost all Republicans on the national stage embrace is all the reason needed to never again vote for another Republican, unless they admit the wrong doing of their party, and swear to never again betray their country.

[Donns]

And you would believe them if they made this sworn statement? Why?

[qdog112]

You don't have to believe them, but you get them on "official" record. That can begin a slippery slop complete with contradictions and impeachment. Typically it's not the first lie, but repeating a lie over and over that gets you. All these people think they are so smart that I think you just gotta give them enough rope .....

[Davwbaird]

Just remember birds of a feather flock together. Republicans are evil they do harmful things to other human beings on a scale that boggles the mind.