NPR: Candidates Repeating Unproven Iraq-al-Qaida Links

Candidates Repeating Unproven Iraq-al-Qaida Links

Presidential candidates have been known to sometimes go for style over substance, even when their style points aren't exactly true.

Take, for instance, the current top GOP contenders. As The Boston Globe points out, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are cheerfully repeating words and phrases that give misleading impressions about the links between al-Qaida and Iraq and Osama bin Laden's connection to events in Iraq.

Romney came pretty close to hitting a lack-of-accuracy trifecta in the last GOP debate.

"They want to bring down the West, particularly us," Romney declared. "And they've come together as Shia and Sunni and Hezbollah and Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda, with that intent."

The Shia and the Sunni aren't terrorist groups, of course; they are branches of Islam. Many of our major allies in the region, as well as many Americans, belong to these religious sects. The Globe also points out that specialists say that few of the groups Romney mentioned have worked together and not all of them have threatened the U.S.

Michael Scheuer, the CIA's former chief of operations against bin Laden in the late 1990s, said these kinds of remarks lead people to believe that bin Laden is directing terrorist attacks against the U.S. in Iraq, which he definitely is not. Scheuer also called another notion the candidates have been repeating -- that al-Qaida would move its base of operations to Iraq if the U.S. left -- "nonsense."

2:28 PM ET | 05-30-2007 | permalink

Comments

As an American Muslim these words do not hurt me any more and shows the ignorance of these leaders. What ever I watch, I listen and I read, its there in one form or the other. So I am immune to these abuses.
This subject (islam and muslims) is good for money making, marketing and good for getting votes from subjects who are brainwashed first by the media and the money making organizations.
I sincerely hope, when this war is over and there is relative peace in the Islamic world these leaders, media giants will change their abusive campaign aginst muslims like it was done against blacks, natives and Jews not vey long ago.
best wishes

anser

Sent by Anser Azim | 3:59 PM ET | 05-30-2007

I suspect that what he was saying was the because the Muslim community is not voicing it's decent over messages that groups like al-Qaida and Hamas are presenting that it gives the appearance of support even when IF the vast majority of Muslims do not support those radical groups.

I imagine that there is a very strong sense of unease with the vast majority of Americans because of this silence. This unease would diminish if there were a loud outcry from the Islamic community.

I also hope that in the future that this unease will decrease and we can talk about what we have in common instead of the fears that separate us.

Adam

Sent by Adam | 5:49 PM ET | 05-30-2007

I doubt he was saying that, Adam. He's just another politician trying to win an election by exploiting the fear, paranoia and ignorance of the American voter. Worked in 2004. Not so well in 2006. Unless there's another major act of terrorism that kills hundreds or thousands of people before the next national election, my bet is this tactic is played out. You'd think he'd have figured that out by now but apparently not. On the other hand, maybe he's counting on another terrorist act to give his argument credibility and sweep him into the Whitehouse. Either way, he sounds like a continuation of the same politics that got us where we are today.

Sent by John R. Otten | 1:59 PM ET | 05-31-2007

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