Jacob Levy: June 29, 2004: I have a question. Has there ever, in the four months since it broke, been a refutation of, an official response to, or even a developed conservative talking point on the story that Pentagon plans to take out Zarqawi before the Iraq war were vetoed by the White House, because Zarqawi was more convenient as a living terrorist in Iraq who could help justify the war?
At the time this seemed to me a huge, terrible story. Given a possibility for real pre-emption against one of the worst terrorists out there, the administration said no, for bad reasons. And many hundreds have since died at that terrorist's hands or under his orders. It was the sort of thing that, had it been asserted by The Nation or Michael Moore or Wesley Clark, would have been trumpeted by the right as evidence of the unhinged conspiratorial thinking of the left. Reported and (apprently reliably though in part anonymously) sourced by NBC, it went, as far as I can tell, entirely unanswered, but also almost entirely unnoticed. At first I assumed that it was so extreme and appalling extreme a claim that there was almost certainly a credible counter-story or at least contrary interpretation to be offered. But I never saw it.
But before I finally file such a dreadful item as "probably true" in my mind I want to ask the Conspiracy's readers, many of whom give the administration much more benefit of the doubt than I do any more: were we ever offered any reason not to believe this story? Was it denied, refuted, or responded to? A denial doesn't disprove it, of course, but has there even been a denial?
Links appreciated. I'll update this post, if useful information comes in (but I won't update just to quote e-mails that say "Of course it can't be true!").
He's very disturbed. So am I.
[
