Once again we are in the height of the election season. If Pinocheo were around he would never be able to get out of the door because his nose would be so much longer than his arms. But there is one character who I like to remember because he was the source for the meme that President Bill Clinton refused to arrest Osama bin Laden and as a result OBL lived to wreak havoc on the World Trade Center. Those of us on the left could provide all the evidence we wanted that the story was untrue, those on the right just would not let that go. Quite probably today many on the right probably still hold that Bill Clinton just sold us out.
Ijaz became an instant celebrity on the right, he even got a gig on Fox News with Sean Hannity. Then Ijaz took a step too far and accused one of the right’s own.
IANS[ SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2003 06:49:05 PM ]
LONDON: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has struck a deal with the US not to capture Osama Bin Laden, fearing this could lead to unrest in Pakistan, according to a special investigation by The Guardian.
The paper reported Saturday that Bin Laden was being protected by three elaborate security rings manned by tribesmen stretching 192 kms in diameter in northern Pakistan.
The paper’s information is based on comments made by Mansoor Ijaz, an American of Pakistan origin who, the paper said, knows al-Qaeda better than most people and had close contacts in Pakistan’s intelligence agencies.
Ijaz believed an agreement was reached between Musharraf and US authorities shortly after Bin Laden’s flight from his stronghold Tora Bora in Afghanistan in December 2001.
Needless to say Ijaz lost his position with Fox and not too much has been heard of him as an authority on the Middle East since. But he did serve his purpose as a useful idiot for a while and helped advance the right wing’s impression of President Clinton as a traitor of our country. That’s what useful idots are for.
Tags: capture, Ijaz, Mendacity, Osama bin Laden
