Defense Department number two called for Iraq attack in 2001
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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pentagon (news - web sites) hardliner Paul Wolfowitz called for an attack on Iraq (news - web sites) in the days after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) told an inquiry.


AFP/File Photo



At a war cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat, four days after New York and Washington were hit by hijacked airliners, Deputy Defence Secretary Wolfowitz "presented the case" for action against Iraq, Powell said.


"Secretary Wolfowitz raised the issue of whether or not Iraq should be considered for action during this time," Powell told an official inquiry into the September 11 attacks.


"Secretary Wolfowitz was deeply concerned about Iraq being a source of terrorist activity."


But Powell added that President George W. Bush (news - web sites) decided that Afghanistan (news - web sites) should be the prime target as "it was clear to us at that point that al-Qaeda was responsible, the Taliban was harbouring al-Qaeda and that should be the objective of any action that we were to take."


Bush "did not dismiss Iraq, but said first things first. We will examine all of the sources of terrorism directed against the United States and the civilized world, but we'll start with Afghanistan."


The final decision to attack Afghanistan was taken on September 17, according to the secretary of state.


Powell said he could not remember whether Wolfowitz had proposed attacking Iraq instead of Afghanistan or parallel to any action against the Taliban-run country where al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) had taken refuge.


The US action against Afghanistan started with air strikes on October 7, 2001.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...1521&ncid=1480

Good man. Wolfowitz made the right call, and has been proven correct.

Rofl. Delusional.

Show me where Iraq was behind 9/11. Show me proof that he, in some shape or form, caused 9/11 to occur.

The War on Terror is not just about 9-11. Can you understand that?

Interesting how Powell is saying Wolfowitz was the man who said to attack Iraq, and someone else is saying that Bush was the man who said to attack Iraq.

A nice case of "he said she said".

Why did Wolfowitz want to attack Iraq before attacking Al Qaeda? Seems rather odd, doesn't it?

Why did Bill Clinton attack Iraq and let Osama go? That seems far more odd to me.

Because Clinton was just as screwed up as Bush.

Are you aware of Bush setting any terrorists free?

That depends on your definition of terrorist

According to Madeleine Albright before the 9/11 committee, Clinton gave an open order for Osama Bin Laden to be killed.

Then why did he let him go?

Give us a source pertaining to how he was "let go" and perhaps we might answer you.

Here is Clinton himself admitting that Sudan offered Bin Laden to him, and he refused.

link

Transcript:

"Mr. bin Laden used to live in Sudan. He was expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1991, then he went to Sudan.

"And we'd been hearing that the Sudanese wanted America to start meeting with them again - they released him.

"At the time, 1996, he had committed no crime against America so I did not bring him here because we had no basis on which to hold him, though we knew he wanted to commit crimes against America.

"So I pleaded with the Saudis to take him, 'cause they could have. But they thought it was a hot potato and they didn't and that's how he wound up in Afghanistan." (End of excerpt)

Oh look..newsmax.
What a surprise.

No, Clinton's own words. Was he lying then too?

Get an article from a more reliable source and I might concede that he admitted to it.

Otherwise it has too high of a potential for being complete BS made up to try and make Newsmax more interesting/worthwhile.

Sorry, Clinton admitted it on tape.

He is a failure.


MSNBC also has a story out on how Clinton had Osama in his sights, and let him walk away again.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4540958/