Saddam Hussein Sourcebook

December 23, 2003 3:12 PM

Several newly declassified documentshave been added to the National Security Archive's Saddam Hussein Sourcebook, including a State Department cable to special envoy Donald Rumsfeld (PDF) for his second meeting with Saddam Hussein (months after the infamous handshake meeting,) in which Rumsfeld conveyed the Reagan administration's undiminished support for Hussein despite their public condemnation of his use of chemical weapons. (It also mentions but seems unconcerned with Hussein's support for Abu Nidhal.) Another document describes Bechtel's intention to do business with Iraq (PDF) through non-US sources in case of US sanctions. [More analysis at Juan Cole.]
posted by homunculus (3 comments total)

yet another example of blowback - will they learn this time...??
posted by specialk420 at 4:33 PM on December 23, 2003

Why should "they" learn anything? Their taxes are getting cut, their companies are getting bigger and bigger government contracts (from more governments) and the hired hands are getting ever cheaper. So what if a few nosy, noisy folks are popping off on the Web?
posted by billsaysthis at 5:12 PM on December 23, 2003

this reminds me a political cartoon I saw during the end of the clinton administration. basically it was some dude sitting downstairs reading the paper as his wife comes down and says, "bill clinton is upstairs trying to sleep with our daughter!" to which the dad replies, "just so long as he doesn't touch my 401k." I guess it was drawn by some right wing type frustrated that a worthless sex scandal wasn't enough to bring an end to 8 years of peace and prosperity.

but now the shoe is on the other foot, and no one seems to mind that this administration is taking front-seat-back-seat to ludicrous new extremes because ____.

(I have a theory that there are basically three types of people that are crazy about the president. the first group only watches network news and just happens to catch slivers of whats going on between the latest developments in the laci peterson or kobe bryant case. the second group still accuses people of being communist or socialist, even though they may not have been alive during the palmer raids or mccarthy hearings. they love bush because they perceive it as driving the "libs" and "dems" insane, who are communists. the third group wants to feel as though they have a part in "the war" but they only way they know how is to insist that everyone pray for the president.)
posted by mcsweetie at 8:49 AM on December 24, 2003