Pentagon Report on Saddam's Iraq Censored?

[Gunit Hussein Sangh]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/rapidreport/2008/03/pentagon-report.html

ABC News' Jonathan Karl Reports: The Bush Administration apparently does not want a U.S. military study that found no direct connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda to get any attention.  This morning, the Pentagon cancelled plans to send out a press release announcing the report's release and will no longer make the report available online.

The report was to be posted on the Joint Forces Command website this afternoon, followed by a background briefing with the authors.  No more.  The report will be made available only to those who ask for it, and it will be sent via U.S. mail from Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. 

It won't be emailed to reporters and it won't be posted online.

Pssssstttttt
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/JDF-Saddam-Report.pdf

[conley]

is this a surprise?

the bush administration has been backpedalling from their allegations that al queda and saddam were in bed together ever since the invasion of iraq

bush: "what does iraq have to do with 9/11? nothing"

that sums it up right there. bush and the administration have known for a very long time AQ was never a strong force in iraq. it's a franchise deal as i've read about (peter has some good insight on this) and that is why they've moved into the power vacuum (along with admahinejad, any number of syrian terrorist groups, etc) created by our removal of saddam.

[Vermouth]

It surprises me. Once again, why bother? It makes the Administration look bad. The report will make it's way onto the internet regardless - it is declassified and can be requested through the FOIA (thank God for Nader). Over the past few years, the U.S. Joint Forces Command has published declassified versions of their reports on different topics related to Iraq and terrorism. These reports were based on interviews with "many of Iraq’s former senior civilian and military leaders" and "documents and tapes captured from Saddam’s regime."

The link at the bottom of Gunit's post is to the 2006 Joint Forces report. That one was on military operations. The press release and link for that report are still available on the U.S. Joint Forces Command website: http://www.jfcom.mil/newslink/storyarchive/2006/pa032406.htm

It's just the new report that is not on available on the USJFCOM website. The summary is linked to from the ABC news story Gunit posted: http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/Saddam%20and%20Terrorism%20Redaction%20EXSUM%20Extract.pdf

The Administration cares more about protecting their image than sharing the findings of research that is funded by taxpayers. That is sad.

[they call me MR. GRUMPY god damn it!]

"no smoking gun" demonstrating an operational link between iraq and al quaeda!  but what else does the report say?  1993 iraq aided in the planning and training of egyptian terror org, islamic jihad headed by zawahiri...al quaeda's number 2.  this group was responsible for the assassination of anwar sadat.  1993 saddam ordered iraq state intel services to form a group to hunt americans on arab soil, emphasis given to somalia.  at the time al quaeda was in somalia working with the warlords that killed us rangers.  released documents also showed extensive support for hamas and arafat's private army, force 17.  1999 financial support provided to radical islamist kurdish sect.  2001 "lessons in secret organizations and jihad work-how to organize and overthrow the saudi royal family",  iraq intel recruited and submitted names of martyrs for operations inside the saudi kingdom.  this report described saddam's relationship to al quaed and islamic terrorist orgs as like that of rival drug cartels.  these rivals often fought over market share but were allies in expanding the market.  further it seems to indicate that while saddam was never trusting of islamic terror orgs, he was more than willing to work with them toward shared objectives.  islamic terror groups had become one of the tools in saddam's box, the trick being the direction you point them.  likely our secularist was also quite the pragmatist.         

[Vermouth]

So why wouldn't the Joint Forces want to publish this on their website?

[they call me MR. GRUMPY god damn it!]

honestly i think it comes down to this "no smoking gun".  since failing to find wmd we have bent over backwards to present the most cautious of intel assessments.  look at the contradictions between the isg report and the subsequent dueffler report.  (i am not sure that i am even in the ballpark regarding the spelling)  again look at the contradictions between the 05 and 07 nie reports and the way this was treated within the msm.  the director of national intel just finished swimming upstream regarding the 07 report but the damage is done.  we have only scratched the surface on examining documents found in iraq.  everyone is covering their ass.