CNN: Stephen Hadley can NOT CONFIRM that Al-Qaeda's Rabia is dead

CNN: Stephen Hadley can NOT CONFIRM that Rabia is dead

That was the first question Wolf Blitzer just asked him, and Hadley replied that he cannot confirm Rabia's death.

This is on right now on CNN Late Edition

On edit:

The holes in the story from Pakistan about Rabia's "death" were discussed on this LBN thread:

CNN: "Body is missing" (Body of Al-Qaeda leader "killed")


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1963596

:spray::rofl:

Hadley definitely looks like one of the undead.

done of Rabia's body that verified who it was? And what about the strange associates of Rabia's who came and claimed the body and authorities allowed them to carry it away and bury it in an unknown location?

Take everything the Bush regime tells you as the absolute truth!

We don't want the public to get funny ideas that they are being lied to.

It is better to proclaim "Predator Strike!" and "Al-Qaeda's Number 3 dead" than to talk about the 10 dead Marines and nearly 20 Iraqi troops killed in one day in Iraq.

:sarcasm:

I guess we can blame Clinton for torture!

"It's Clinton's fault!!"

However, if he said "administrations", he may be referring to...hmmm...who was that guy who held the White House before Clinton?

acknowledging---and defending---"rendition." Slippery slope, and I hope Europe jumps all over the Admin about this.

Keep nudging, Wolf...be a newsman today!

This is supposed to be an unrehearsed interview, right?

When Wolfie asked Hadley about rendition, Hadley said that rendition had been done by previous Administrations. Hadley then mention the terrorist Carlos the Jackal by name. Immediately CNN puts Carlos's picture on the screen.

If this had been an unrehearsed interview, there would not have been enough time for CNN to have done a computer search for a picture of Carlos the Jackal. It takes a few seconds to even type the name on a keyboard!

thanks for that, IndianaGreen...keep 'em honest!

"They're checking DNA!"

I guess we'll have to wait a month or so for "Al Quaeda's No. 3" to get killed or captured yet again.

BTW, I thought Bin Laden was Al Quaeda's No. 1, and Ayman Zawahiri was its No. 2... so if this guy Rabia is No. 3, where does that leave the all-powerful Zarqawi?

This is harder than figuring out the structure of Professor Moriarty's Eevil Empire, as described in Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. But then, Moriarty was a fictional character.

These guys are, of course, real. (Yeah, sure they are.)

Clearly the MSM used an uncorroborated claim by Pakistan's President Musharraf to trump all of the bad news coming out of Iraq, the 10 dead Marines and the dead 13 Iraqi troops.

Will they put all the king's horses and all the king's men into identifying Al-Qaeda's Rabia? Probably, but who cares? Rabia is just another #2 or #3 with a host of very competent understudies ready to fill his shoes.

LOOK, OVER THERE! Fool me once; shame on you. Fool me twice; shame on me.

by taking credit for knocking of an Al Q big wig.

The hostages in Iraq are Christian peace activists, the very sort of people that Bush/Cheney have put under surveillance and/or imprisoned in the US.

Bush could care less that the hostages are killed!

I don't listen to that fat ass dope addict, but I got the following e-mail with a link to what Rush said on his show:

Subject: Limbaugh on kidnapping of peace activists in Iraq: "I'm telling you, folks, there's a part of me that likes this"
Date: Sun, 4 Dec 2005 10:27:56 -0600


Limbaugh on kidnapping of peace activists in Iraq: "I'm telling you, folks, there's a part of me that likes this"

Audio:

http://mediamatters.org/static/audio/limbaugh-20051130-peace.mp3

On November 29, nationally syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh read an Associated Press report about the apparent kidnapping of four Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) activists by an Iraqi insurgent group. Limbaugh announced that "part of me likes this." He explained: "Well, here's why I like it. I like any time a bunch of leftist feel-good hand-wringers are shown reality."

After suggesting that the story "could all be BS ... could all be a stunt," Limbaugh said, "We'll take it face value at first." Addressing the kidnapped CPT activists, Limbaugh said, "(Y)you’ve met the bad guys, and you tried your technique on them, and now you're blindfolded in a room with guns pointed at you and knives at your throat. I don't like that." He then added, "But any time a bunch of people that walk around with the head in the sand practicing a bunch of irresponsible, idiotic theory confront reality, I'm kind of happy about it, because I'm eager for people to see reality, change their minds, if necessary, and have things sized up."

After a caller informed Limbaugh that CPT had recently ended an "Adopt-A-Detainee" letter-writing campaign in which religious congregations and anti-war groups were urged write letters protesting alleged abuses of detainees, Limbaugh added:

LIMBAUGH: (A)s warped as these people are, you know they're going to blame Bush for this. ... They wouldn't have been kidnapped because they wouldn't have been there in the first place if Bush hadn't gone and caused the war and created all these terrorists. I mean, these people are liberals, they're warped. Well, I mean, that's why there's -- I'm telling you, folks, there's a part of me that likes this. Probably, even with this, though, you know, they're not going to see the light of day. They're not going to --

At that point, Limbaugh paused before saying, apparently to someone in his studio, "I know, let them take me out of context. I don't care anymore."

From the November 29 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show

CNN has posted the transcript on their website. Nguyen is the CNN anchor, Bokhari is the correspondent in Islamabad, Pakistan:

CNN SATURDAY MORNING NEWS

Aired December 3, 2005 - 10:00 ET

BOKHARI: Well, you see -- I mean, his name has figured only very recently. I mean, it was really a shock when we heard about that kind of an al Qaeda operative living in that part of Waziristan where the Pakistan army has conducted several raids and the area was consistently being monitored.

Another interesting thing that I would like to share with you is that the body has not been claimed. The authorities have categorically stated that the body has been misplaced or has been taken away by the sympathizer of al Qaeda. So this is also very interesting point, that without having the body of the gentleman, the confirmation is given by the highest authority of this country.

NGUYEN: Salim, hold on just a second. Let's recap this. The body is missing. This Abu Hamza Rabia, the al Qaeda leader there on the ground, what is being called -- the man who's being called a big fish is missing?

BOKHARI: Yes, I'm very -- categorically speaking that so far the authorities are saying that they could not claim the body of Hamza Rabia.

NGUYEN: What proof do you have that he's missing? How do you know?

BOKHARI: Well, you see, there is no clear version from the authorities so far, but it's expected that in another two or three, they will certainly confirm it again that the person who got killed in that blast or that -- whatever that missile attack is Hamza Rabia. That is what they are insisting, that that is Hamza Rabia was one of them who was killed.

NGUYEN: All right. Also, there are others killed in this. Are we learning now that they too are al Qaeda members? Because earlier it was told us to by the interior minister that these were locals.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/03/smn.03.html

BLITZER: Abu Hamza Rabia, supposedly the number three Al Qaida operative in Pakistan. Is he dead?

HADLEY: We've seen the reports out of Pakistan. We are looking at it. We are not in a position at this point to publicly declare that he has been killed. If he has been killed, it's a very good development. He was the chief operational planner for Al Qaida after the capture of Abu Faraj al-Libbi.

He was involved in planning assassination attempts against Musharraf. We believe he was involved in planning attacks against the United States. If he is indeed dead, it's a very good thing for Pakistan and for the United States.

BLITZER: If he's dead, how was he killed?

HADLEY: There have been a number of press reports. This is something that occurred on Pakistani soil. They obviously will be the ones who come forward and indicate how this occurred.

BLITZER: We have pictures that seem to show a U.S. Hellfire missile, an American CIA operated drone, a Predator drone, was involved in this killing of this terrorist. Did the CIA, the U.S. government, get involved in killing him on Pakistani soil?

HADLEY: There are conflicting reports as to what happened. Obviously, the United States works very closely with Pakistan. Pakistan has been very aggressive, President Musharraf has been very aggressive going against Al Qaida in Pakistan.

He's been increasingly aggressive at going against Taliban, and we, obviously, are supporting him. But obviously, the details of these kinds of things are things that is best left for the Pakistanis to talk about.

BLITZER: Because they're suggesting it was an explosion, may have been an accidental death.

HADLEY: There are a number of reports at this point that are out there, and obviously, the key question is has this man been killed? Because if he has been killed, it's a real accomplishment in terms of the war on terror.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/04/le.01.html

true substance..

Earlier story posted in DU on this topic:

Al-Qaida denies Pakistan death claim

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2CC9A3F4-DE33-4FBF-A71B-2C7FC1591425.htm