And with the same characters no less. Another gem from the perpetually fact-challenged Michelle Bachmann who never met scripted spin she didn't like:
“I have been very reluctant to see the United States to go into Libya. For one thing, we haven’t identified yet who the opposition even is to Qaddafi. We don’t know if this is led by Hamas, Hezbollah, or possibly al Qaeda of North Africa. Are we really better off, are United States, our interests better off, if let’s say Al-Qaeda of North Africa now runs Libya?”
And for good measure, we'll add the equally venomous Pam Gellar:
“And now [President Obama] is essentially backing Al-Qaeda in Libya. Al-Qaeda has already established an Islamic emirate in eastern Libya, and is playing a leading role in the revolt against Gaddafi. The Libyan Islamist Fighting Group is also involved.”
Note to both women.........
Despite fears that Islamic extremists may be playing a hidden role in the rebellion against Moammar Kadafi, the U.S. intelligence community has found no organized presence of Al Qaeda or its allies among the Libyan opposition, American officials say.
A U.S. intelligence-gathering effort that began shortly after anti-Kadafi forces started seizing towns in eastern Libya last month has not uncovered a significant presence of Islamic militants among the insurgents.
"We're keeping an eye out for extremist activity in Libya, but we haven't seen much, if any, to date," said a U.S. counter-terrorism official. A Defense official added that the U.S. had not seen a direct link between the opposition and extremists.
Their convictions are easily explained. They believe every Muslim is a copy of AQ.
ReplyDeleteI think AQ sympathizers and members will antagonize Muslims in Democratic states. I just don't think the ideology will take root in these states just because the people therein are Muslim and/or tribal.
What about the rebel commanders admitting on television that they are sure some of their men are AQ or AQ sympathizers? That's where these two women are getting this from...the report from the ground, from a rebel commander about the status and nature of the men he is fighting with.
ReplyDeleteAnon - That's a good point, and there are certainly some sympathizers and possibly some extremists in the rebel force. We know from the USMA CTC's Sinjar Records Report that many foreign fighters to Iraq came from the Benghazi region.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the diatribes of Bachmann and Gellar is that they are trying to extrapolate the certain inclusion of some extremists with the CinC supporting Al Qaeda in general and the not remotely possible emergence of an Al Qaeda in Maghreb nation-state.
The problem with the diatribes of Bachmann and Gellar is that they are trying to extrapolate the certain inclusion of some extremists with the CinC supporting Al Qaeda in general and the not remotely possible emergence of an Al Qaeda in Maghreb nation-state.
ReplyDeleteOf course when Operation Iraqi Freedom spawned AQI Bush's skin color, exclusively Christian upbringing and party affiliation shielded him from unintentionally assisting our enemy.
"The US intelligence community" has no vested interest in publicly discovering AQ elements among its recent Libyan allies.
ReplyDeleteWhich has eff all to do with the stupidity coming from rightist critics of intervention. And in no way validates intervention, itself.