# A great commentary on the United States from an English Reporter **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 21, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-great-commentary-on-the-united-states-from-an-english-reporter/162967 "2003-03-21T02:01:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-great-commentary-on-the-united-states-from-an-english-reporter/162967/21 "2003-03-22T00:55:27Z")
**MLS** - Your PBS and NYTimes links both reference interviews with the same Iraqi defector, and if I’m not mistaken, your MP link doesn’t mention the fuselage or training camp at all. Don’t you think such a definite link between Saddam and 9/11 would be corroborated by more than one person? Is there any hard evidence (I think a jet would show up on satellite images) or are you just taking this guy’s word at face value? ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-great-commentary-on-the-united-states-from-an-english-reporter/162967/22 "2003-03-22T01:31:57Z")
No, the MP link just shows you some of the nice things Mr. Hussein and his family like to do for entertainment and to keep their “supporters” in line. If you search around Yahoo for a while you can find quite a few links about Salman Pak and the Iraq-AQ connection. Here is one that you may find interesting, since it is from another well-known right wing organization, [The New Yorker](http://www.newyorker.com/printable/?fact/030210fa_fact); the article was written by Jeffrey Goldberg in February. It is a very long article and you will have to spend some time reading through it. In fact, you will have to read almost to the end of it to get into the Iraq connection. What gives it, I think, credibility, is that the writer spends a fair amount of time, especially at the beginning, detailing some of the failures of U.S. intelligence; he certainly does not seem to be attempting to whitewash government shortcomings. Here’s a particularly interesting quote. Note it’s not from a member of the current government. > [@](#): > > Woolsey, who served as President Clinton’s first C.I.A. director, said that it is now illogical to doubt the notion that Saddam collaborates with Islamist terrorism, and that he would provide chemical or biological weapons to Al Qaeda. “At Salman Pak”—a training camp near Baghdad—“we know there were Islamist terrorists training to hijack airplanes in groups of four or five with short knives,” Woolsey told me. I hope this helps give you something to think about. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-great-commentary-on-the-united-states-from-an-english-reporter/162967/23 "2003-04-07T01:56:27Z")
Several weeks ago, in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=171362&highlight=Salman), I said: > [@](#): > > I guess the reason that some think Iraq (or at least its government) has that airplane fuselage in the desert training camp outside of Baghdad is to practice the proper serving of coffee, not to practice hijacking, since they don’t support terrorism. Right. And Mr2001 replied > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr2001 \* > \*\*Do you have a cite for this? Preferably a credible news source (i.e. not Rush Limbaugh). \*\* but was not happy with my answer. Today, here is more [evidence.](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-War-Terror-Training.html) > [@](#): > > SALMAN PAK, Iraq (AP) – The rusted shell of an old passenger jet sat out in a field, its tail broken off. Good for hijacking practice, U.S. Marines speculated Sunday as they examined an Iraqi training base about 20 miles south of Baghdad There’s more, but I’ll let you read the article yourself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-great-commentary-on-the-united-states-from-an-english-reporter/162967.md?page=1)