Clinton, Congress Ratified 'Secret Bush Plan' to Depose Saddam
It turns out that former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's
so-called bombshell revelation that the Bush administration had a "secret plan"
to depose Saddam Hussein before 9/11 wasn't such a secret after all.
In fact, not only did plans for "regime change" in Iraq NOT originate with
the Bush White House, the "sinister plot" was actually ratified by Congress and
signed into law by President Clinton a full three years before President Bush
came to Washington.
According to Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, "The 1998 Iraqi Liberation Act
was passed by an unanimous Senate and a near-unanimous House," after which Mr.
Clinton certified it as the law of the land with his signature.
What the Journal didn't note was how bold Clinton officials were about their
plans to topple Saddam.
According to a report in Newsweek just three months ago, after Clinton signed
the Iraqi Liberation Act, "the U.S. government convened a conference with the
[Iraqi National Congress] and other opposition groups in London to discuss
'regime change.'"
In January 1999, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright even appointed a
special representative for transition in Iraq, Frank Ricciardone, who reportedly
had "a mandate to coordinate opposition to Saddam."
Said Albright at the time: "He will be assisted by a team that will include
both a military and a political adviser with extensive on-the-ground experience
in the region. ... With the aid of Frank Ricciardone and his team, we will
persist in helping the Iraqi people re-integrate themselves into the world
community by freeing themselves from a leader they do not want, do not deserve
and never chose."
Two months later, the Clinton administration's plans for a post-Saddam Iraq
were already well under way, with State Department spokesman Jamie Rubin
explaining to reporters: "What we're trying to do ... is strengthen an Iraqi
opposition movement that can lay out solid plans for the post-Saddam recovery in
all sectors of national life."
As the Washington Times noted at the time, "President Clinton has said that
getting rid of Saddam is a major U.S. objective."
_______________________________________________ Sndbox mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://a8.mewebdns-a8.com/mailman/listinfo/sndbox_sandboxmail.net