No proof is not proof
Cheney Won’t Back Down on Saddam-Qaeda Links -Aides:
A White House official said Cheney’s assertion, which he repeated this week, that the ousted Iraqi leader had long-established ties to al Qaeda, were based on “facts.”
Show us these ‘facts’, if you please.
To make that case, his office provided reporters with a list of U.S. officials and lawmakers who made similar statements about Saddam’s alleged ties to al Qaeda.
…
“We have solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of al Qaeda members, including some that have been in Baghdad,” Tenet said in an Oct. 7, 2002 letter to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Sen. Clinton was quoted as saying three days later: “He (Saddam) has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members,” according to the list compiled by Cheney’s office.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld declared in September 2002: “We know that al-Qaeda is operating in Iraq today.”
Members of Jemaah Islamiyah live(d) and work(ed) in Singapore. Does that mean Singapore is linked to Jemaah Islamiyah, and therefore, al Qaeda? Donald Rumsfeld was seen in Iraq in 1983. Does that mean the US had ties to Saddam Hussein’s atrocious government?
These are only statements and allegations they’re putting forward to sound convincing. Just because it’s been said doesn’t make it true. If Cheney’s right, he must be able to back it up properly. Show the world videos, photos, documents - something - that presents concrete evidence of links between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. Saddam Hussein is no longer President and is wallowing in prison somewhere - what national security risk can there be?
If he can’t, he has no business saying these things.
More non-proof of Saddam Hussein-al Qaeda ties
- Al Qaeda-Hussein Link Is Dismissed
- Interviews with people who should know (note the updates)
Bush also has no business making these claims, citing a rather tenuous link. Saddam Hussein’s government may have been pretty friendly with terrorist groups in general, but it does not mean he abso-fucking-lutely worked with al Qaeda.
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2 Comments
They taught us in General Paper lessons that the most fatal flaw one can make in advancing an argument is to call upon the authority of other people who have said it first.. which essentially proves nothing. Shocking behaviour for the second most (some say, most) powerful man in charge of the only superpower. They need more geography lessons..
Ah, General Paper. I found my GP tutor a complete waste of space. She had no interest in expanding our minds, just in instructing us on how to answer an essay question.
The appeal to authority.
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