Hersh: Bush Funneling Money to al-Qaeda-Related Groups

ThinkProgress.com

New Yorker columnist Sy Hersh says the "single most explosive" element of his latest
article involves an effort by the Bush administration to stem the growth of Shiite influence in
the Middle East (specifically the Iranian government and Hezbollah in Lebanon) by funding
violent Sunni groups.

Hersh says the U.S. has been "pumping money, a great deal of money, without
congressional authority, without any congressional oversight" for covert operations in the
Middle East where it wants to "stop the Shiite spread or the Shiite influence." Hersh says
these funds have ended up in the hands of "three Sunni jihadist groups" who are "connected
to al Qaeda" but "want to take on Hezbollah."

Hersh summed up his scoop in stark terms: "We are simply in a situation where this
president is really taking his notion of executive privilege to the absolute limit here, running
covert operations, using money that was not authorized by Congress, supporting groups
indirectly that are involved with the same people that did 9/11."

Hersh added: "All of this should be investigated by Congress, by the way, and I trust it will
be. In my talking to membership - members there, they are very upset that they know
nothing about this. And they have a great many suspicions."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/022607A.shtml

al Qaeda, the 'enemy?'

"I want you to know that the American people will not support a policy of retreat," Cheney told the soldiers.

Democrats' Strategy Would "Validate al Qaeda'

Cheney also had harsh words for Democratic leaders, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., who says he wants to stop the surge of more U.S. troops into Iraq.
Cheney said Pelosi and other Democrats were pushing a policy in Iraq that would "validate the al Qaeda strategy."
"I think if we were to do what Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Murtha are suggesting, all we'll do is validate the al Qaeda strategy," Cheney told ABC News.
"The al Qaeda strategy is to break the will of the American people, knowing they can't win in a stand-up fight, try to convince us to throw in the towel and come home and then they win because we quit," he said.
"I think that is exactly the wrong course to go on," Cheney said. "I think that is the course of action that Speaker Pelosi and Jack Murtha support. I think it would be a mistake for the country."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2891738

fight by the Marquis of Queensbury rules.

"I mean, do I look like the kind of Connecticut preppy who would belong to an
occult dark-side cabal?" - Commander AWOL

seems to me, if true, this would be another (of many) impeachable and punishable offenses committed by the treasonous bush admin.

....now we're funding terrorist groups with connections to al Qaeda.....dear God, what have we gotten ourselves into.

I am against impeachment without new reasons. This would definitely qualify as a new reason, if it can be proven.

How much more will have to happen before members of congress realize that Bush must be impeached? He knows he can do whatever he damn well pleases.

k&r

He lied us into a war and then he keeps upping the number of troops in country, and they are paying people to attack our troops. They are themselves causing this whole mess, not only by invading Iraq, but they are prolonging this thing by backing the main people who are fighting to keep control after we over throw their leader. They helped start this Shiite uprising. Now they are trying to beat it down. It smacks of IranContra.

The ramifications of Sy Hersh's latest revelations are immense.

Bush is Funding al-Qaeda, Making Him an Unlawful Combatant

by Dave Lindorff | Feb 27 2007 - 9:13am |

<snip>

No wonder when Congress passed a bill creating an office of inspector general to check on all that vanishing Iraq cash, Bush furtively issued one of his "signing statements" saying that the new inspector would be barred from examining any funds that involved the Pentagon--effectively nullifying the law!

Now, it should be pointed out that under anti-terrorism legislation submitted by the administration and passed into law by the Congress, providing aid to Al-Qaeda or to organizations in any way linked to terrorism is a federal crime and classifies the perpetrator as an abettor of terrorism and even as an "unlawful combatant," subject to loss of citizenship rights, and suitable for rendition to Guantanamo or some other secret torture hell-hole.

I suppose the proper thing at this point would be for some patriotic prosecutor or some general to march into the White House and haul the president off to be waterboarded until he lays out all the details of his treasonous actions. (Sure he is the president and is immune from prosecution, but if he's an "unlawful combatant," none of that applies. The president has declared this to be so.)

For make no mistake: secretly providing money to terrorist organizations that are daily attacking Americans in Iraq, in order to ignite a new war against Iran, especially at a time that the US military is stretched beyond the limit in Iraq, is nothing short of treason. Even viewed in a more minimalist way, absconding with public funds and diverting them to illegal purposes is criminal fraud.

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http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/5756