Former Interrogator: Iraq Had Ties to Al Qaeda

According to the Regime of Terror blog a former civilian interrogator attached to the U.S. Army in Iraq, Matthew Degn,says that much of the public perception about Saddam Hussein's regime and terrorism are incorrect.

When asked about recent media reports citing Saddam Hussein's denial to the FBI about links to al Qaeda Degn viewed these reports as part of an ongoing attempt to rewrite history saying these reports stand in stark contrast to what he saw and heard firsthand in Iraq. In fact, Degn said that to many of the detainees links between Saddam Hussein's regime and terrorist groups including al Qaeda was not even a point of contention but freely acknowledged. Many of the high value detainees took it as a given that their captors were aware of Iraq - al Qaeda links. Some even bragged about those links.

I interviewed plenty of Saddam's associates, as well as numerous members of Al Qaeda while at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere in 06 and spoke with many who were quite familiar with the inner workings of the Saddam regime while at the Ministry of Interior (MOI). Did they cooperate or have animosity towards each other? Well, this is a tough question to answer as it seemed that different individuals had a variety of feelings about the subject. Some detainees alleged that members of AQI (al Qaeda in Iraq) were in support of Saddam and began attaching the CF (coalition forces) for money, religious reasons, thrills, etc. On the other hand, there were those I spoke with who were opposed to Saddam and happy to see him removed. Still, the reasons for attacking the CF were much the same.

One thing many fail to understand is that Al Qaeda is not a unified group throughout the Middle East, or even regionally. Many small groups take the title of "Al Qaeda" to bolster their notoriety, to feel they are part of the larger effort against the US forces, or for other reasons.

As for how supporters of Saddam felt about AQI again it would depend on the individual. Many I spoke with claimed they were against the group probably because that is what they figured I wanted to hear. Some claimed Saddam was against the group because members of AQ were a bit too religious or threatening to his rule. While, other detainees claimed he used various groups as intermediaries to arrange arms and money transfers to the group in order to attack a common enemy Iran, as well as US interests in the region. Still, there were other hard core detainees, part of Saddam's core, or members of other groups such as former ANO members (Abu Nidal Organization) as a few alleged, that claimed they would associate with Saddam-ites as well as AQI from time to time as the need would arise.

Degn is currently the Director of the Intelligence Studies Program and a professor at American Military University whose testimony about events in Iraq has been cited by NPR, ABC News, the Washington Post and elsewhere. According to his American Military University bio.

He also worked as a Senior Policy/Intelligence Adviser to Deputy General Kamal and other top intelligence officials with the Iraq's Ministry of Interior. Degn, currently working on a book about his experiences in Iraq.

So folks it appears that were links to Saddam and Al Qaeda as well as many other terrorist groups. Please take the time to visit the various links in this blog post which will better educate you on this issue.

Hat Tip to Flopping Aces

Poll: Voters Trust GOP Over Democrats...Again !

Voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on eight of 10 issues, including, for the second straight month, the top issue of the economy.

According to the Rasmussen Reportsthe latest poll indicates that voters trust the Republicans more on economic issues 46% to 41%, showing little change from the six-point lead the party held last month.

Voters not affiliated with either party trust Republicans more to handle the economy by a 46% to 32% margin.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of voters now trust Republicans more on the issue of taxes,only 36% trust Democrats more on taxes.

On national security, Republicans hold a 49% to 40% lead over Democrats.

Republicans hold a four-point lead on the issue of the War in Iraq.

The GOP has a 40% to 34% lead on the issue of immigration and is ahead 46% to 39% on abortion.

Republicans also edge out Democrats on government ethics and corruption for the second straight month, 34% to 33%. In June, the GOP held a six-point advantage on the issue. (That's down thanks to our buddy, the Governor of S.Carolina)

Also for the first time in over two years, Republicans lead Democrats on the issue of Social Security 42% to 37%.

Republican candidates lead Democrats for the second straight week in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot. Support for the GOP remains unchanged this week - at its highest level over the past year, but support for Democrats dropped one point to tie its lowest level in the same time period

Fifty-four percent (54%) of all voters say the average congressional Democrat is more liberal than they are.

BHO's Columbia Days: Anti-War Radical

Nearly six months after the election of President Obama the New York Times suddenly decides to to its job. For many of us there were questions as to why Obama the candidate would not talk about his Columbia campus life. Suddenly the Times has discovered a 1983 article authored by then Barack Obama the student. The title of this article that appeared in the Columbia campus student newspaper? "Breaking the War Mentality".

The article suggested that Obama loathed American "militarism" and the "military-industrial interests" of America, while supporting the nuclear freeze movement.

"The Freeze is one part of a whole disarmament movement."

"Things like this may dispel the idea that disarmament is a white issue,"

Obama also supported other anti-war campus groups such as ARA,"Arms Race Alternatives", and "Students Against Militarism" or SAM.

"At the heart of our organization is an anti-war focus", says junior Robert Kahn, one of SAM's fifteen or so active members. "From there, a lot of issues shoot forth - nukes, racism, the draft, and South Africa."

So what's the big deal, right? So what? Many college students were radicals in their campus days.

That's true, but how many of them actually became President and are jaunting off to Russia to negotiate away our only real defense against Russia, nuclear deterrent. It appears that Obama's attitude toward the military and how we defend our nation has changed little if any since 1983. Add in his lame responses to Iran and North Korea both up and coming nuclear powers in their own right, and you have a recipe for disaster.

I remember during the campaign how many criticized those who questioned Obama's relationship with William Ayers, a known anti-American radical who still teaches as a college professor to this day. As if the relationship didn't matter. Well it matters folks, especially if he currently feels the same way he did back then.

It is not that I would be opposed to the world doing away with nuclear weapons, it would be great in theory. But how would we do it and how would we verify that it is being done. What would we do about those who are not disarming, how would we defend ourselves against the nukes that they have and we don't.

Sure folks, in a perfect world, nuclear disarmament would be desirable, but this is not a perfect world.

Read more here.