Timing too good to believe

July 18, 2007

What a remarkable coincidence. Just as the Senate begins debating Iraq policy, the White House releases a National Intelligence Estimate it falsely believes helps the president’s position, and then (careful not to step on the NIE headlines) announces a major terrorist capture. And wouldn’t you know it, the terrorist is on-message, too.

The highest-ranking Iraqi leader of al-Qaida in Iraq has been arrested and told interrogators that Osama bin Laden’s inner circle wields considerable influence over the Iraqi group, the U.S. command said Wednesday.

Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was captured in Mosul on July 4, carried messages from bin Laden, and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahri, to the Egyptian-born head of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Ayub al-Masri, said Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a military spokesman.

“Communication between the senior al-Qaida leadership and al-Masri frequently went through al-Mashhadani,” Bergner said. “There is a clear connection between al-Qaida in Iraq and al-Qaida senior leadership outside Iraq.”

Why, that’s remarkable! Just yesterday, the collective conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies was that al Qaeda and AQI were merely affiliated — the latter was inspired by the prior, and exists to resist a U.S. occupation — and then today we gain whole new insights that bolster all of Bush’s talking points.

How politically fortuitous for the White House! As David Kurtz notes, however, there are a couple of reasons to be skeptical.

First off, the capture took place two weeks ago but was not announced until today. Hmmm, have we seen that before?

And the detainee just happened to confess to a greater level of coordination between AQ in Iraq and Osama bin Laden’s global AQ, right in line with the official White House line that AQ in Iraq and AQ are one and the same. The White House is already highlighting the capture in its daily email to reporters. Go figure.

For all the talk that Americans are too cynical, I’m frequently reminded that when it comes to the Bush White House, I don’t think we can be cynical enough.

U.S. forces just happened to announce this captured terrorist today, he just happened to say everything the White House wanted him to say, and the Bush gang just happened to seamlessly incorporate the news into their media lobbying efforts.

To be clear, capturing terrorists is an inherently good thing. U.S. forces who apprehended al-Mashhadani deserve our thanks for a job well done. But the right is accepting the White House line blindly, as if the Bush gang couldn’t possibly mislead people about something as important as counter-terrorism. I’m afraid they haven’t been paying attention.

I’m frequently reminded that when it comes to the Bush White House, I don’t think we can be cynical enough.

Bush did 9-11. Is that cynical enough for you?

  • What makes anyone think this guy is even a terrorist and not some poor schmuck we “disappeared” from the streets of Baghdad and tortured until he “confessed”?

  • Along with this “capture” I’m still waiting for the next air travel “terrorism” alert. That should be coming along shortly to convince Joe Public that DHS is doing a great job keeping us safe.

    Put me in the “Highly Skeptical” category, please.

  • You already blogged about this CB and it seems the Democrats have caught on sooner than the ReThugs (what a surprise):

    People don’t care. They just want out.

    Sure the news that Al Q is back and still a threat might scare people into a few more Friedmans if they weren’t so pissed off. Hearing Al Q is back sends the message that a lot of soldiers died for nothing. You could make the argument that the report suggests that even with the US and other nations’ armies breathing down their necks, Al Q is pretty much invincible. That’s cheerful news. It also is an inconvenient truth that bin Laden and pals are now in Pakistan, an ally that is content to leave him alone. How does the occupation of Iraq change this?

    As for the news that we just captured another major Al Q. figure. Uh yeah. I thought we killed a major Al. Q figure in Iraq. Oh wait, there’s another one? Gee, there’s no end to these guys and the WH wants the soldiers to stay in Iraq until they’re all dead? Yeah, the public will go for that all right.

    The WH can parade boogey men all they want but they aren’t going to regain that control they once held over large portions of the nation.

  • A fellow can go through a lot of water-boarding in two weeks, not to mention other things.

    And you’re right, Haik. Bush did do 9/11, or someone extremely close to him. There’s just no room for doubt anymore.

  • “there are a couple of reasons to be skeptical”

    1) It was announced by the Bush Administration
    2) It supported the position of the Bush Administration (they have yet to be proven right on anything they have said or done)
    3) Cheney

    The Dems should put up billboards across the country with photos of W & Dick withth ecaption “Why do they think you are stupid?”

  • Seems like if they just captured a really important dude, they shouldn’t be blabbing about what he told them yet. They won’t even tell us who met with Cheney, but they’ll tell us what the “highest-ranking Iraqi leader of al-Qaida in Iraq” told interrogators?

    Someone please ask Tony Snow if he thinks anyone trusts what they say anymore. Then laugh at him.

  • Since Nomar got hurt, the Red Sox go out and get a different shortstop every year — first Cabrera, then Renteria, then Gonzales, then Lugo….who’s not going to last, either, I figure.

    Al Qaeda seems to do the same thing with ‘high-ranking leaders’.

    Has Moneyball ever been translated into Arabic?

  • My rhetorical question wasn’t properly sharpened. Try again…

    They won’t even tell us who met with Cheney six years ago, but they’ll tell us what the “highest-ranking Iraqi leader of al-Qaida in Iraq” told interrogators in the last two weeks?

  • Shorter Bush Laden Crime Family Propaganda:

    The turr’ists are coming to get you!

    We got one of the turr’ists trying to get you!

    We have to keep fighting the turr’ists trying to get you and there’s a ransom to pay!

    We have to destroy the Constitutional Republic because the turr’ists are trying to get you!

    Re-investigate 9/11 and impeach the traitors. We spent a total of $15 Million on the 9/11 Commission, I think that we can do better than that for the sake of our American way of life, especially when you consider that we spend $12 Billion on the U.S. Military Occupation of Iraq each month.

  • I read the news blurb from the Yahoo portal this morning (don’t remember if it was AP or what). With careful reading I figured out that this guy is actually NOT the highest ranking AQI leader in Iraq. He sounded more like a courier, a waterboy, or window dressing (putting an Iraqi face on AQ). The AQI war minister is some other guy who, from what I could tell, has NOT yet been captured. The more I dug into the wording of the story the more it looked like a press release from TWH that was carfully crafted to provide the basis for SPIN SPIN SPIN.

  • So we spent trillions to make al qaeda stronger and bigger. I thought Bush just,…”to tell you the truth, I just don’t pay that much attention to him anymore”.

    These guys have no problem assuming we are all stupid and will believe anything this administration says. The right believes what they want to believe.

    This administration has lost all credibility. They will say and do anything to keep this occupation going. I believe the reports that claim the Iraqis would throw the 5% al qaeda terror out of Iraq themselves if we would just get out of the way

    Executive privilege, acting in secret with no accountability, refusing to cooperate with congressional subpoenas who lied us into a war, now wants us to believe them about anything is laughable.
    It’s all just too convenient.

  • The news of Pakistan’s truce in Waziristan was public 10 months ago. Did we hear anything about the US doing something about it? No. But now, when it’s convenient for the White House to have a threat, we hear that al Qaeda has used it to recover and strengthen. Hmm. Isn’t that interesting?

    Perhaps Condi could tell us that “no one could have imagined that al Qaeda would use the truce to bolster its forces.” I could use a good laugh.

  • If we did something so bad, so horrible, so outrageous and then blamed it on horrible people no one would ever believe we actually did it.
    Wrong: they will subconsciously know because there are “tells”, like sitting in a classroom undisturbed while your country is under attack. No normal human being responsible for the nation’s welfare would have acted that way…None. Yeah, there may be doubt and you counted on that, but sitting there like that is a “tell”.

  • I am so sick of the Bush BS. Their propaganda isn’t even well-done, just like everything else they touch, this smells of more s##t, lies, and garbage. These thugs are not even smart enough to market themselves as anything respectable; nobody believes them now. Impeachment is essential to get the power away from the executive branch and restore the balance of power. Check out last Friday’s Bill Moyer’s Journal on PBS website.

    I think it is good there are blogs like this one where we can get an intelligent dialog going. TV news speaks as one corporate voice. The sooner everyone realizes it, the better.

    Turn to the Internet for news. Al Gore discusses this in his new book “Assault on Reason.” Corporate interests dominate TV and newspapers and cannot be trusted. I guess the good news is the fact more people are finally waking up to the fact these criminals have us in a stranglehold. Time to change it!

  • The theme the Dems should use on this is:

    “The White House has publicly and repeatedly approved the use of torture procedures to be used on anyone it deems necessary. It must be assumed that such methods can be and are used on people in U.S. custody, or in the custody of surrogates acting on behalf of the U.S.”

    “Any statements obtained through such methods are by definition tainted and cannot be considered trustworthy or believable. This administration has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted to tell the truth and therefore all such information must be considered suspect and unreliable.”

    In other words, Bush is a damned liar and nobody should believe him anymore, if they ever did.

  • I’m with Rian (#2 above). How did our intelligence apparatus suddenly become so sophisticated and effective that we would even know who’s who in the AQ chain of command unless he had already appeared in one of their TV specials? So this guy supposedly carried messages between AQ bigwigs in Pakistan and Iraq? Great. Another messenger boy off the street.

  • to TAiO @ #4, Musharef is calling Dubyas bluff. If AlQ is in the tribal territories of Pakistan, give us actionable intelligence and we will go after them.

    And lest we forget, Rummy cancelled an op to get AlQ in Pakistan because he was worried about attacking a sovreign nation. (Like that’s ever stopped a reich-winger before)

  • So this guy supposedly carried messages between AQ bigwigs in Pakistan and Iraq? Great. Another messenger boy off the street.

    Comment by Jim Strain

    Messages like: Stop using our name. It is copyright.

  • Blast it all—I go on a hiatus, and miss all the good stuff! However, if I waterboard the chief Bushylvanian for 14 days, I’d bet I could get him to confess to being the mastermind behind every terrorist act—planet-wide—since January 2001. I can probably get him to admit that Cheney is really a holdover from the Third Reich, and that he’s been gettin’ it on with Rove for over a decade (Laura might not like that one).

  • And didn’t this Bergner guy work for the White House until, like, last week?

    (I’m sure I heard that somewhere.)

  • to TAiO @ #4, Musharef is calling Dubyas bluff. If AlQ is in the tribal territories of Pakistan, give us actionable intelligence and we will go after them.

    Good thought, we know BushBrat doesn’t want his boogeyman captured and certainly not by Pakistan, who a) Would get all the credit. b) Might gain information from bin Laden or his associates that would be embarrassing to BushCo.

    However, I think Mushy’s a little pre-occupied with keeping a grip on his population, which keeps clamoring about that dratted democracy thingy and blowing itself up.

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