The connection to page A9
This morning's Washington Times features 9/11 Commission member John Lehman's disclosure on Meet the Cuomo Aide yesterday that a senior officer in Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's security services was a member of the terrorist group that committed the September 11 attacks: "Iraqi officer in al Qaeda, papers show." Lehman did not identify the officer by name, but faithful readers of Power Line know that he is Ahmed Shakir, as discussed in Stephen Hayes' book The Connection. (Both Hayes and the Times note the uncertainty that underlies this possible connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.)
In the context of last week's Commisson report and the related controversy, one would think the story is something of a bombshell. The editors of the Washington Post think otherwise. Close readers of the Post will find the story (via Reuters) on page A9: "Iraqi officer linked to al Qaeda."
HINDROCKET adds: Dafydd ab Hugh points out that the New York Times, like the Post, dipped its toe into the water this morning with a discreet reference to Lt. Col. Shakir:
Another Republican member of the commission, John Lehman, said Sunday that new information — not yet confirmed — suggested that a lieutenant colonel in Mr. Hussein's Fedayeen fighter force was a "very prominent member" of Al Qaeda."We are now in the process of getting this latest intelligence," he said in an interview on the NBC News program "Meet the Press."
Maybe someday readers of the Times and the Post will find out what they are talking about. The real moral of this story, I think, is that you can't be adequately informed on current events if you're relying on mainstream newspapers, news magazines and television news for information. They are not only biased and incompetent, but painfully slow.
