We still don't know everything there is to know about the 1993 WTC attack, but few knowledgeable observers consider it to be an Iraqi operation. It may well, in retrospect, be linked historically with al Qaeda, given the Ramzi Yousef's possible connections to bin Laden, although up to now the general view has been that it was the work of a bunch of free-lance Islamist radicals rather than classic state-sponsored terrorism.
I stand corrected, then. I thought that ties to Iraqi intelligence had been shown conclusively in the 1993 attack.
All this is important to keep as straight as possible, of course, because we need to be clear about the nature of the various threats facing us. I'm very hawkish on al Qaeda and pretty hawkish on Iraq, but think it's better to consider to them as separate challenges rather than to try and conflate the two, as the administration and some of its backers do.
I agree, the case should be made on what we actually know; it's quite enough. Still, that doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't connected; and based on the rumors, and what we know of of the style and motives of the players, I think you will agree that the speculation is hardly ridiculous. |
