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The blind mice
By Todd A. Carges
Thu Apr 03, 2008, 04:30 PM EDT
Would you believe me if I told you that right about the same time that President Bush was preparing us to go to war, three democrat congressmen actually made a trip to Iraq, publicly called President Bush a liar, criticized our embargo on the terrorist sponsoring nation, and proclaimed Saddam Hussein more trustworthy than our Commander-in-Chief? Before you answer that, would you believe that Saddam Hussein himself financed that trip with his own money? Well, you should believe me, because it's true.
In 2002, President Bush was preparing to do what the rest of the world was afraid to, back up our threats to a terrorist sponsoring dictator. As he was making his case to the American people and the rest of the world, three democrat congressman, Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California chose to make a high profile visit to Iraq. All three were against the invasion and claimed that the purpose of the trip was to observe the suffering of the Iraqi people caused by the embargo that we placed on Iraq due to Saddam's ongoing refusal to cooperate with U.N. sanctions. The trip immediately raised more than a few eyebrows for two reasons: 1) the Iraqi people were suffering not because of the embargo and not because of America but because they lived in a country controlled by a vicious dictator that withheld the basic necessities of life from his own people, and 2) Saddam would certainly use their trip as a propaganda tool that could build anti-American sentiment throughout the world.
Well, the trip was a total success...for Saddam that is. In a live interview from Baghdad with ABC's George Stephanopolous, McDermott and Bonior stood on enemy soil and claimed that past U.S. bombings had caused Iraqi children to get leukemia and lymphoma. Then they effectively called the President of the United States a liar. Stephanopolous seized on this and directly asked the democrats: "Do you have any evidence that the president has lied?" McDermott replied: "I think the President would mislead the American people." They went on to urge the world to give Saddam Hussein the benefit of the doubt. Keep in mind that this is a man who tried to assassinate a sitting U.S. president, used poison gas on his own people, and used rape rooms to maintain power.
At the time of the interview, Republican Senator Don Nickels from Oklahoma was in studio with Stephanopolous. He was appalled at the comments of the congressman, and responded: "I'm really troubled by what I just heard…that the President would mislead the American people…they both sound somewhat like spokespersons for the Iraqi government."
CNN's Jane Arraf followed with her own interview, asking the congressman "how does it feel to be used as a propaganda tool against your own country?" McDermott replied: "It feels fine. If being used means that we're highlighting the suffering of Iraqi children, or any children, then, yes, we don't mind being used." Are you sick to your stomach yet?
Commentator George Will reacted to the interviews with outrage: "Let's note, that in what I consider the most disgraceful performance by an American official in my lifetime-something not exampled since Jane Fonda sat on the anti-aircraft gun in Hanoi to be photographed-Mr McDermott said, in effect, not in effect, he said it, we should take Saddam Hussein at his word and not take the President at his word. He said the United States is simply trying to provoke. I mean, why Saddam Hussein doesn't pay commercial time for that advertisement for his policy, I do not know."
Good question George. It turns he was paying for that live promo. In a shocking revelation last week, uncovered Ba'ath party documents revealed that the trip to Iraq by the three democrats was actually financed by Saddam Hussein himself.
Muthanna al Hanooti, a Michigan resident with close ties to Saddam's regime, brokered the trip, and Shakir al Khafaji, who once paid a former U.N. weapon's inspector $400,000 to make a pro-Saddam propaganda film, made their arrangements and accompanied them to Iraq.
Through his intelligence operatives, Saddam funded the trip and rewarded Al Hanooti with two million barrels of oil. Those two million barrels today would be worth $210,000,000. That shows you just how much value Saddam placed on this trip. Al Hanooti has been charged with conspiracy to act an unregistered agent of foreign government, illegally purchasing Iraqi oil and lying to authorities. Federal prosecutors said that Al Hanooti was assigned to monitor Congress for the Iraqi Intelligence Service and provided Saddam with a list of U.S. lawmakers that favored lifting economic sanctions against Iraq.
He hit the jackpot with the Baghdad 3.
Of course, McDermott, Bonior and Thompson claim they had no idea that Al Hanooti was an agent for Saddam or that the trip had been financed by the dictator. I'll show them the respect they refused to show President Bush by not calling them liars until I have proof but let me be clear that a simple Google or Nexis search reveals many suspicious connections between Al Hanooti, Shakir al Khafaji, Saddam, the Oil for Food scandal, and several groups with financial ties to international terror. It certainly is hard to believe that these three democrats would make such a controversial trip without properly vetting the people paying for it.
One thing is for certain though, the Baghdad Three most certainly knew the trip would be used as anti-American propaganda before they left. Many commentators and media members specifically warned them of this and questioned their motives. "Media" outlets throughout the Middle East used the planned trip to highlight divisions within the U.S. Government.
Saddam's own state run newspaper, The Iraq Daily, printed daily updates of the trip in English for the whole world to see.
There was a time when this fact in and of itself was enough to be called treason, now it barely merits a mention on the evening news. What is happening here in America?
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