“Cheney’s personal involvement in Pakistan policy is one of the reasons things are going FUBAR over there today”

Yup.
Thanks, EW, for laying all this out about Rashid Rauf. Once again, our president cares more about political capital than good intelligence, or successful prosecution.

Um, isn’t there a relevant law about this kind of thing?

Bob in HI

…and would you be surprised if I told you Bush ordered Cheney to have it done in time to fear-monger leading up to the 2006 elections?

Meaning that Bush acquiesced in Cheney’s demand that he “allow” Cheney to do it. Apart from bike riding, there isn’t much this Prez initiates.

The whole world outside the borders of the U.S. is a shadow play the Republicans use regularly to manipulate American voters to return them to power. And no one in Washington cares what happens to the shadows in the play.

“And we’re all still surviving on hotel shampoo when we travel, two years later.”

Trust me… It was LOTS and LOTS of fun the next morning at Dulles Airport. As I recall, it took about 2.5 hours just to get through security — and there was enough shampoo and other liquids in discarded bottles to float the Titanic!

Good catch, EW, and a good post too. There’s a lot behind this story that hasn’t been reported in any of the Western media, and some that’s only been reported once, and as always there’s a lot to be learned from reading between the lines. I’ve been digging into this alleged plot, and writing about it, for two years now, and there’s a lot about it that hardly anybody knows — stuff that’s only been reported in Pakistani newspapers and my blog, for instance.

I’m currently working on the 34th installment of an ongoing series; you could probably read all 33 before I get the next one finished. I doubt anyone would do that, but the links to the first 33 articles in the series are here: The ‘Liquid Bombers’ Series

I’ll assume that you aren’t interested enough to do that much reading, so I’ll try to bring you up to speed as quickly as I can. The most important features of this story include:

– the fact that the timing of the arrests was forced by Bush i.e. Cheney against the wishes of the British, who had done all the preliminary work (as reported by Ron Suskind);

– the information that came out along the way concerning the Pakistani government’s support of terrorist groups such as LeT and JeM, not to mention al-Q;

– the “escape” of the “primary suspect” (Rashid Rauf) from Pakistani custody and the Pakistani government’s blatant coverup of that event;

– the fact that the US and the UK continue to support the Pakistani government despite what appear to be acts of aggression against them;

and finally (and most tellingly, in my opinion)

– the alleged plot (in whatever version you choose) was physically and chemically impossible!

Putting two and two and two together, we get: CIA, MI6 and ISI are all working together, along with al-Q, JeM, LeT (aka JUD) and other terrorist groups. The basic idea of this plot was not to bomb airplanes out of the sky (for that was impossible) but to scare us into giving up precious civil liberties (or allowing them to be stolen, which amounts to the same thing) (and that worked!)

Various articles in the series provide extensive documentation for these claims and much more … but if you only read one of them it should probably be this one: Inadequate Deception: The Impossible Plots Of The Terror War

~~~

You can find the latest news on this story at my newest “other blog”, Peroxide Plotters.

You can find the basis for much of my research at my oldest “other blog”, Winter Parking. At Winter Parking, check the sidebar for links to articles about “Liquid Bombers” (50 so far), and “Rashid Rauf” (over 300 now).

Or if you want to skip all that and jump straight to the good stuff, here’s a good one: Is Pakistan’s “Public Enemy Number One” A CIA Asset? Of Course He Is! Otherwise He’d Have Been Dead A Long Time Ago:

Pakistan’s most feared terrorist communicates with encryption so strong the Pakistani intelligence services cannot crack it.

You can’t make this stuff up. Or at least I can’t.

~~~

“I don’t mind telling you, ’cause every word is true!
and sometimes I feel like pourin’ it all out …”

– Graham Parker

I’ll stick this here, though logically it belongs on a post that will roll off in the next few hours.

I read all the responses — and there is much detail in “The Way of the World” that will clear things up.

First off — what is actually in the Habbush “forgery” — people are actually debating this???!!! It is dated July 1, 2001. It is constructed and phrased as a report to Saddam from Habbush on “current intelligence projects.”

The first point advises that Atta has completed his training in Iraq, staying at the house of Abu Nidal. Reports Atta did well in his training, and shows firm committment to destroying the agreed targets.

Second point claims that Iraqi Intelligence, along with a small team from al-Qaeda have arranged the trans-shipment of Yellowcake from Niger through Libya to Syria and thus forwarding to Iraq.

Third point “flatters” Saddam by praising him for his secret meeting with Syrian President Bashir-al-Asad, that among other things finalized the Yellowcake shipment arrangements.

OK — now that you have had a laugh at the memo, consider the question when was it actually composed?

Things we know: We know it appeared in the Telegraph in mid December, 2003. We know that Allawi was the proported source for the Telegraph. We know that at the time the Telegraph was owned by Conrad Black (it would later be sold to Murdoch.) Richard Perle serving on Black’s board at the time — Black just coming into our friend Pat Fitzgerald’s cross-hairs in late 2003.

But the fake memo was not written in December 2003 — we kinda know that because Suskind tells us Habbush got his 5 million in October, and one generally doesn’t pay for something like this till it is satisfactory and in hand. My own suspicion is that it was written in September, 2003 — after the CIA made the referral of the Plame matters to DOJ, and while the FBI was doing the initial inquiry. The contents of the memo suggest the purpose was to dispose of two problems — 1, counter Joe Wilson’s claims about Niger Yellowcake, and 2, give substance to Cheney’s fast disappearing claims that Atta had a connection to Iraq in the pre-911 period of summer of 2001, and thusly sustain the Saddam/al-Qaeda connection. The memo provides two links to al-Qaeda — the Atta one, and the picture of al-Qaeda hauling the Yellowcake through the desert from Niger to Libya. Syria and Libya stand out as allied with Saddam. (just in case you need an argument for more invasions.)

Of all the people in the whole Bush circle, as of September, 2003, I suspect it was largely Scooter Libby and Cheney who would focus on these fabrications, given that the two of them would have the detailed knowledge of both points — the Plame Wilson issues, and the FBI work (already in the hands of the 9/11 commission) totally ditching the Iraq-Atta relationship claim. So this was intended not only to reinforce the Niger-Yellowcake story, and hit Joe Wilson over the head — but it was also intended to destroy the FBI’s investigative product following the pre-9/11 trail of Atta — and possibly to restore Cheney’s veracity on this issue.

In fact neither of these matters made a damn bit of difference to Iraq — these were lies to cover for Cheney and (if he knew of it) Bush’s political situation given that we were one year out from mid-term elections. It is totally domestic, and totally about holding on to political power.

In fact, you can add in another timeline here as it does intersect, and that is in November 2003, they re-call Paul Bremer for discussions, and make the decision to end his Pro-Counsel position in June, 2004, and proceed with the writing of a constitution and elections. I suspect the context of Allawi’s December visit to DC in 2003 was dictated more by the change in tactical plans decision, less by any “release the Habbush memo” plan.

Nuther subject:

Everyone needs to get a flavor of the Rob Richer, and His Majesty, King Abdullah of Jordan relationship. Our CIA guy and the King have something in common — they both love riding en masse on Harley Davidsons. Suskind provides us with a good description of one ride — the Pacific Coast Highway around Carmel and on to Big Sur — but more recently Richter organized another one across Southern Africa, and Abdullah brought along a couple more middle east princes. Richer goes way back with the Hashimite Family — he was so close to King Hussain that Hussain depended on his advice as to which of his sons should inherit the throne — and Richer backed Abdullah. Hussain depended on Richer for advice on educating Abdullah — so the relationships are long and deep. Keep in mind.

Richer retired from CIA in 2005 — during the reign of the Gosslings, and has since become part owner and President of Blackwater’s new intelligence set-up. Suskind tells a few details about Habbash’s life style in Jordan over the past few years — and further tells us that Jordanian Security is probably keeping him safe. The detail suggests that perhaps Suskind got an interview on a quiet Jordanian patio with tea, in the midst of an area protected by Iraqi Sunni interests, and Jordanian Security. (If you know what someone’s patio looks like, perhaps you have been there, no?)

I been thinking about this picture along with the one from a couple of weeks ago now, when Obama dropped in to visit with Abdullah during his world tour, and Abdullah could hardly let him go. Drove him to the Airport, kept him on the tarmack for more conversation after the plane was loaded and ready — clearly the kind of first impressions that might lead to a further bonding on a Harley Ride at some juncture. (the latter is my own fashioning of how this all ends in a Hollywood Buddy Movie.) Apparently Abdullah and Bush and Cheney are civil, but have never developed much of an honest relationship.

Anyhow the relevant equations: Rob Richer and King Abdullah — Best Buddies over several decades. Rob Richer — new president of Blackwater Intelligence Arm.

Habbush — (5 million richer) protected by Jordanian Intelligence, probably run as a CIA asset by Richer. Probably still run by Blackwater these days. Handed off to Blackwater because of the attacks of the Gosslings, which was the Bush/Cheney decision to totally politicize the CIA.

Now Habbush was not primarily an American Asset — he was developed by the British, in particular by Michael Shipster, a 30 year vet of MI6, who clearly sat for an interview with Suskind. It was Shipster who reported to both MI6 and CIA and directly to Bush, that Iraq had no WMD’s and no programs to produce them a couple of months before the invasion. Habbush met several times in Jordan with Shipster pre-invasion, made the point that Saddam did not want to be explicit as to what he had, or didn’t have, largely because of Iran and Syria, mostly Iran. Bush refused to accept Shipster’s work product, and ordered the cut off of contacts with Habbush, though the British and CIA make it their business to get Habbush to Jordan after the invasion began, and allow the Jordanians to protect him and his family.

What all this is really about is the simple point that in addition to US Intelligence sources, Suskind has dug all the way to the top in British Intelligence, and his saga is based in such source material. And this is why the White House blast back is not going to work.