Clinton Back's Bush's War in Iraq

[Drake Tungsten]

Some of us got banned for calling a spade a spade and missed all the fun...

[GePap]

No, some of you get banned for acting like children and not getting the point when the mods tell you to stop attacking people and acting like fools.

By the way, how is your Arabic?

[Drake Tungsten]

No, some of you get banned for acting like children and not getting the point when the mods tell you to stop attacking people and acting like fools.

I certainly felt like a "fool" when Ogie laid down some major pwnage on the mod who thought he could ban me and then continue to post his lies...

By the way, how is your Arabic?

Not as good as my Japanese.

[GePap]

Not as good as my Japanese.

That much is certain.

I do wonder how long it will be before someone finds someone from the right making anything close to an effective counter on what seems like a simple yet informed annalysis of the name issue.

I think it might be while in coming. Cause lord knows how many Arabic speakers the Neocons actually employ.

[Drake Tungsten]

I think a better question is "how is your Arabic?" How do you know that this is a "simple, yet informed analysis" of the name issue if you don't understand Arabic yourself? You could, of course, assume that this blogging professor knows Arabic well enough to make this analysis and is doing so in an unbiased way. Of course, you could also assume that Christopher Carney has access to Arabic experts and would have checked that his conclusions were supportable before making any kind of accusations.

At any rate, all anyone is doing is making guesses at this point, given that none of us have access to the information that is behind this latest theory. That makes it rather pointless to discuss the merits of Weekly Standard article at this point. Not that I wanted to in the first place, mind you. We all have you to thank for this irrelevant thread jack. Can't we get back to where we were before this jack happened, ie. you claiming that CNN articles are "unsubstantiated"? Pretty please?

[Ramo]

Dude, his creds are impeccable. He does research in is this region of the world (from amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...98091-4862245, I see authored by him several books that imply a great deal of knowledge in Arabic). He's been translating newspaper articles and laws from Arabic for the online community for the past couple years. So sorry, I think I'll trust him over Hayes, Feith, or the Americanist Carney.

Anyways, he provides the source for the names:

One of them is Ahmad Hikmat Shakir Azzawi, identified as an al-Qaida "fixer" in Malaysia.

Officials say he served as an airport greeter for al-Qaida in January 2000 in Kuala Lumpur, at a gathering for members who were to be involved in the attacks on the USS Cole, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Iraqi military documents, found last year, listed a similar name, Lt. Col. Hikmat Shakir Ahmad, on a roster of Saddam's militia, Saddam's Fedayeen.

From the Post.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/8982177.htm

Bottom line is, can you tell me a good reason why Hikmat Shakir Ahmad is the same name as Ahmad Hikmat Shakir Azzawi?

[Drake Tungsten]

or the Americanist Carney.

What do you know about Carney? Hell, you only got the title "Americanist" from Juan Cole...

Can you tell me a good reason why Hikmat Shakir Ahmad is the same name as Ahmad Hikmat Shakir Azzawi?

How should I know? I don't speak Arabic and am not up on naming customs and the variations between them in different areas of the Islamic world. Luckily, I'm not claiming to know or making any judgements on the analysis of people who may or may not know about the issue. I just pointed out that certain people, including a member of the 9/11 commision think that there might be something worth investigating here. Who are any of us to pronounce that a worthless point of view?

[Ramo]

Yes, and Juan Cole has proven himself to be extraordinarily reliable on all things Arabic. Carney has proven himself to be a guy drudged up by Feith. But prove me wrong. Find me something Carney has published that implies significant knowledge of Arabic.

And again, the CIA also says the name thing is total bull****. Are you claiming that CIA analysts don't know Arabic? And I don't care if a GOP hack in the 9/11 commission says that there's a connection, there's no reason to think him knowledgable in Arabic or even being capable of rudimentary logic.

Even if the names were actually the same (for the last time, my name and a terrorist's name is the same, does that mean someone should investigate me?), there'd still be practically nothing worth investigating.

[Ramo]

Christopher P. Carney
Associate Professor,
Political Science

B.S.S. (History) Cornell College, Iowa
M.A. (International Studies)
University of Wyoming
Ph.D. (Political Science)
University of Nebraska
U.S. Foreign and Security Policy; Third World Politics and Development
Scholarship Interest:
American Government and Politics; International Relations with an emphasis on US Foreign and Security policy, and US-Third World relations.

I see nothing that implies specific knowledge in Arabic or Arab culture. He looks like an Americanist to me. So once again, you've been pwned.

[Drake Tungsten]

Carney has proven himself to be a guy drudged up by Feith.

I fail to see how Carney has proven to be anything, since none of us know much of anything about him. Hell, some of us on this board still aren't convinced that he really exists...

Find me something Carney has published that implies significant knowledge of Arabic.

Why would he have to know Arabic? All he has to have is access to Arabic experts to check his work.

Even if the names were actually the same (for the last time, my name and a terrorist's name is the same, does that mean someone should investigate me?)

Well, if your terrorist counterpart were either...

A) a man with ties to the Iraqi embassy (and possibly Mukhabarat) who was present at planning meetings for the 9/11 attacks

or

B) an officer in Saddam's Fedayeen

... and you occupied the other slot, then I would sure as hell hope that the government would be checking up on you. Seems like common sense to me.

Feel free to continue acting like there's nothing worth investigating here, though. Thankfully, people with actual power aren't taking your advice.

[Drake Tungsten]

So once again, you've been pwned.

You have to pwn someone a first time to do it "once again", son. I admire your spunk, though. We might make a man out of you yet...

[Ramo]

See above.

Why would he have to know Arabic? All he has to have is access to Arabic experts to check his work.

What makes you think an Arabic expert checked his work?

Well, if your terrorist counterpart were either...

A) a man with ties to the Iraqi embassy (and possibly Mukhabarat) who was present at planning meetings for the 9/11 attacks

or

B) an officer in Saddam's Fedayeen

... and you occupied the other slot, then I would sure as hell hope that the government would be checking up on you. Seems like common sense to me.

Feel free to continue acting like there's nothing worth investigating here, though. Thankfully, people with actual power aren't taking your advice.

I said practically nothing, not nothing. A co-incidence in names is just that, untill it's substantiated.

[Ramo]

You have to pwn someone a first time to do it "once again", son. I admire your spunk, though. We might make a man out of you yet...

Seeing as how I've torn your claims to shreds, it's quite something for you to keep claiming victory. Impressive. We might make a Fez out of you yet.

[GePap]

Sorry Drake, pwned again. Getting to be common.

[Drake Tungsten]

Seeing as how I've torn your claims to shreds

What claims? Why do you two keep failing to realize that I never made any claims in this thread with regards to the Weekly Standard article, thereby making it impossible for you to tear my non-existant claims to shreds? You guys are taking all the fun out of this; it's too damn easy.

edit: Actually, looking back at the thread, it may be possible that I haven't made a single claim about anything. That would be impressive, wouldn't it? Maybe I have a future in government...