Again we miss the chance to destroy them on Zarqawi

[SoCalDemocrat]

VP Cheney used a full 2 min response to talk about Zarqawi, how bad he was, his connections to Al Qaeda, how many troops he has killed, people he has beheaded, and why they needed to invade Iraq because of him. He even lied and said Zarqawi went to Bagdad and setup his chem/bio WMD factory there instead of in the mountains under the US no fly zone.

For the love of GOD someone PLEASE tell the Kerry/Edwards team about Bush protecting Zarqawi from the Pentagon airstrikes 3x in order to create this lie about Hussein being tied to Al Qaeda and 9-11.

If Edwards had countered with why did Bush protect Zarqawi in the year leading up to the invasion of Iraq? Bush would be HISTORY. I'm beyond angry that our party is unaware of these facts and unable to attack the Bush/Cheney ticket with them.

[SoCalDemocrat]

1. Zarqawi is the achilles heel

al-Zarqawi, the evil terrorist that Bush used to link Saddam to Al Qaeda and 9-11.
al-Zarqawi, whom Bush helped secure a foothold in Iraq in a policy that has backfired "big-time". The Bush policy in Iraq for two years following September the 11th was the opposite of fighting terrorism--it was to PROTECT terrorists and use them as political pawns to gain oil and power.

al-Zarqawi, whom the U.S. was secretly asking for help in Iraq just months after 9-11.
http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/030503_ansar....

al-Zarqawi, who for two years was based in NE Iraq with Ansar Al Islam, his terrorirst organization.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2149499.st...

al-Zarqawi, and “Al Ansar had ties to Al Qaeda, some members shared training camps in Afghanistan… he developed chemical and biological weapons which were unleashed on targets in Europe. The U.S. was fully aware of his presence and the base from the get go.”
-– Christian Science Monitor, BBC July 24, 2002

al-Zarqawi, on whose behalf President Bush interceded three times to protect him from Pentagon air strikes intent on destroying Zarqawi and his camp.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4431601 /

al-Zarqawi, and Iraq's Tora Bora, which could of been "crushed" with U.S. help.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1122/p01s02-wome.html

al-Zarqawi, who Colin Powell cited as the reason for going to war in Iraq on Feb 5th.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2003/17300.htm

al-Zarqawi, whom Qatar gave safe refuge and a million dollars; a Bush "ally" in the war on terror.
http://cpusa.org/article/articleview/526/1/3 / (from NY Times)

al-Zarqawi, and his group have spread by the time the U.S. invades Iraq.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/2020/iraq030221_an...

al-Zarqawi, and his Ansar-al-Islam "Al-Qaida-linked" group behind majority of post-9/11 terror deaths in Iraq.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4428430 /

al-Zarqawi, Bush finally attacks the base but it's far too late.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81843,00.html

al-Zarqawi, re-emerges with his renamed group "Tawhid and Jihad -- which means Monotheism and Holy War".
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=...

al-Zarqawi, who is credited for sawing off the head of Nick Berg in a how-to video for future terrorists.

al-Zarqawi, blamed for more than 700 terrorist killings in Iraq. … Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist operation … but never pulled the trigger.”
-– NBC News March 2, 2004
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4428430 /

"Mission Accomplished" -George W. Bush, 2003

More background material:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[bushwakker]

2. i was waiting for je to come back at him

we had a chance to take him out but didn't do so to keep the premise for invasion in iraq alive ugghhh

[SoCalDemocrat]

4. unbelievable

Edwards failed to counter many Cheney lies, but since Cheney was telling over 1 per minute it was impossible to refute them all.

Still why didn't he call him on this point? Why not point out that at least Zarawi wasn't in Bagdad making bio-chem weapons as the idiot Cheney said. Why not point out he was under the US No Fly Zone the entire time and that Bush ordered the Pentagon NOT to attack him; not once, not twice, but three times.

That would of ended that debate and this election.

[Zero Division]

3. Yes, probably my biggest disappointment of the night

I can't imagine why Bush's failure to go after Zarqawi hasn't been used.

And it would be great if K/E would also bring up the fact that Zarqawi isn't even close to be as critical to the strength of the insurgency in Iraq as B/C claims he is.

[SoCalDemocrat]

5. That's another great point

Cheney said again it was Batthist holdovers from Saddam and terrorists that were causing all the problems. This is a complete lie and should be pointed out. Sadr City has 200,000 insurgents that have nothing to do with either of those sources.