KipWellsFan Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Two months before September 11 Osama bin Laden flew to Dubai for 10 days for treatment at the American hospital, where he was visited by the local CIA agent, according to the French newspaper Le Figaro. The disclosures are known to come from French intelligence which is keen to reveal the ambiguous role of the CIA, and to restrain Washington from extending the war to Iraq and elsewhere. ... The American hospital in Dubai emphatically denied that Bin Laden was a patient there. Washington last night also denied the story. ... Whether the allegations about the Dubai meeting are confirmed or not, the wider leaks from the French secret service throw a worrying light on the rivalries and lack of coordination between intelligence agencies, both within the US and between western allies. A familiar complaint of French intelligence is that collaboration with the Americans has been essentially one-way, with them happy to receive information while giving little in return. full story http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/stor...,584444,00.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsideirish71 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(KipWellsFan @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 09:17 AM) full story http://www.guardian.co.uk/waronterror/stor...,584444,00.html Sounds more like sour grapes from the Frenchies. I have little reason to believe the French Intelligence. The French are still trying to position themselves to run the EU and this seems no more than a well placed publicity stunt to s*** on the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSH2005 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Always trust the French. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 :headshake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaSoxxJim Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 It would sure be a kick in the pants if it was true. Can't flush him out of Tora Bora? Hell, maybe we couldn't flush him out of a Dubai hospital bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Isnt French Intelligence an oxymoron? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Jokes aside, I doubt they would just make something up, even if they are trying to make the CIA look bad. Exagerrate? Sure. Pull this out of thin air, at this point in time? Unlikely. I'll be curious to see if this has legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 I find it amusing that people willing to blame the administration for flimsy bunk stories about the Clinton administration's chances to get Bin Laden in 1996, aren't giving any credence to this flimsy bunk story either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSH2005 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 I find it amusing that people willing to blame the administration for flimsy bunk stories about the Clinton administration's chances to get Bin Laden in 1996, aren't giving any credence to this flimsy bunk story either. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What? Clinton has even discussed his chance to get Bin Laden himself. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/4/20/112336.shtml Clinton's comments on Bin Laden on audio tape Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minors Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 This is nothing but the French trying to stir up trouble which they are known for. After all the US has done for them, then go and hang us out to dry and make up stories like this to cause us trouble it is really a shame. I could care less what ever happens to France and just so they know that when they need help again it will not come from the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilliamTell Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 09:42 AM) Isnt French Intelligence an oxymoron? lol this is my favorite post in quite a long time. It's true though, this is my opinion but I'm sure the French know stuff about Osama that they aren't telling. The French always love to point the finger in someone elses direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samclemens Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 good thing the french are so trustworthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 The French are fighting along side our military in Afghanistan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(samclemens @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 01:57 PM) good thing the french are so trustworthy So, because France doesn't agree with the Iraq war, they aren't trustworthy? That's logical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsideirish71 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:29 PM) The French are fighting along side our military in Afghanistan. Because fighting with us in Afganistan makes them a trustworthy source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:37 PM) So, because France doesn't agree with the Iraq war, they aren't trustworthy? That's logical. How about the fact that they sold weapons to Saddam in violation of the arms embargo. Does that make them not trustworthy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 03:46 PM) How about the fact that they sold weapons to Saddam in violation of the arms embargo. Does that make them not trustworthy? If you find a reputable report that the French GOVERNMENT sold weapons to Saddam in violation of the UN sanctions, I will concede the point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 12:51 PM) If you find a reputable report that the French GOVERNMENT sold weapons to Saddam in violation of the UN sanctions, I will concede the point. Even if that were the case, which I think it may very well have been (not necessarily the government doing it, but the government offering tacit approval or at least looking the other way, much in the same way as our government looked the other way about oil-for-food), that doesn't mean that France's intel on Al Qaeda is necessarily incorrect. As with any sort of intelligence thing, you have to take each and every thing and evaluate the source, their hard intel, what is being said, etc. If you just say "This source is always trustworthy because they agree with us politically", you wind up with forged documents coming into your hands from Italian intelligence services and wind up using those forged documents to justify a case for war. Or if you say "We can't trust what this nation says"...they might be giving you a warning 3 days before an attack that you would be foolish to ignore. At least on principle, this doesn't pass the smell test, which given that I have no access to classified French information, makes me view it as highly suspect. But if the French were to tomorrow produce pictures of Bin Laden entering the facility, and flight records of some CIA person going to Dubai and then walking into that same hospital...then all of a sudden they've built a very strong case. But as of right now, we just have what I can tell is a claim which appears in 1 news source which is purported to come from French Intelligence but which appears there anonymously...Which is basically what was used to sell the idea that Iraq had WMD on the front page of the NYT...which to me means that you shouldn't buy a word of it until you hear more evidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 This story is pure politics. For the record, I've never cited (supposed) missed opportunities to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden on behalf of the Clinton administration. French Intelligence leaked this information? The jokes rights themselves. Look, the damn article itself cites France's motive to issuing such nonsense--to prevent our administration from broadening its war efforts. It's simple--either you believe the White Houes and UAE, or French Intelligence. If ANYTHING occured, a CIA agent just happened to be at the same Dubai hospital on the same day as UBL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 01:05 PM) It's simple--either you believe the White Houes and UAE, or French Intelligence. If ANYTHING occured, a CIA agent just happened to be at the same Dubai hospital on the same day as UBL. If that somehow happened and Bin Laden lived through it...something would be very very wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 02:51 PM) If you find a reputable report that the French GOVERNMENT sold weapons to Saddam in violation of the UN sanctions, I will concede the point. My own 2 eyes will suffice. When I was in Iraq we found literally tons of brand new weapons and othe military hardware stamped "Made in France" and the waybills had origin points in France. Thats pretty compelling evidence if you ask me and it got swept under the rug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 01:14 PM) My own 2 eyes will suffice. When I was in Iraq we found literally tons of brand new weapons and othe military hardware stamped "Made in France" and the waybills had origin points in France. Thats pretty compelling evidence if you ask me and it got swept under the rug. Well, the question to put to you in reply should be...can you prove that this equipment not only came from France, but that the French government knew about it? Link with tons of Duelfer report data here...none of which seems to allege that the French government was actively helping any more than the U.S. government was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Tizzle Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 (edited) QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 03:11 PM) If that somehow happened and Bin Laden lived through it...something would be very very wrong. Which is why I believe if anything happened, it was pure coincidence/ignorance rather than malicious intent. Who knows, perhaps this supposed CIA agent is responsible for overseeing security at the hospital and the attendants secretly admitted UBL. It doesn't make much sense for a CIA official to meet with a man already wanted for past terrorist activities in a public venue. If I were to use your oft-mentioned smell test, this would f***ing reek. Anyways, I know what this story is suggesting. You don't need to go out and simply say it, but they're implying that the CIA may have known prior to 9/11 that attacks were forthcoming. If I read this supposed intelligence and come to the possibility, others will as well. Edited February 22, 2006 by Flash Tizzle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NUKE_CLEVELAND Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 03:21 PM) Well, the question to put to you in reply should be...can you prove that this equipment not only came from France, but that the French government knew about it? If they didn't know about it ( unlikely due to the quantity ) they were totally incompetent. If they did know about it ( far more likely for the same reason ) they were complicit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samclemens Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Feb 22, 2006 -> 05:14 PM) My own 2 eyes will suffice. When I was in Iraq we found literally tons of brand new weapons and othe military hardware stamped "Made in France" and the waybills had origin points in France. Thats pretty compelling evidence if you ask me and it got swept under the rug. i fail to see how you can argue with this. please dont split hairs about whether the french gov't knew about it or not. please. liberals in this board assume daily much worse about the american government based on way less information than we have in this situation. cant have it both ways, lefties! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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