"No Justification. . ."

From the Associated Press: Russian intelligence agents shared information with their American counterparts in 2002 that Iraqi secret services were organizing terrorist attacks against U.S. facilities outside the United States, Interfax quoted an unidentified intelligence agent as saying Thursday.

The agent said that Russia had received a report early in 2002 that Iraqi secret agents were planning attacks on U.S. diplomatic and military facilities.

"This information was more than once passed on to our U.S. partners in oral and written form in the fall of 2002," the source said, Interfax reported.

The agent said that "in investigating the causes of the Iraq crisis, it is necessary to take into account all of the aspects, including the direct threat to the United States from the Saddam Hussein regime," Interfax reported.

Russia strongly opposed the U.S.-led war on Iraq, challenging the American administration's claims about the threat from Hussein, and was critical after the war about Washington's failure to find any weapons of mass destruction.

The agent's statement was made in response to a finding by the U.S. federal panel investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that there was no evidence of a "collaborative relationship" between al-Qaida and Hussein. The commission held its final public hearing Thursday.

The agent said that Russia, too, possessed no evidence of a link between Hussein and al-Qaida, but he suggested that the panel's findings failed to "draw a comprehensive picture," Interfax reported.


OK, so Saddam and Osama weren't bosom buddies. So what? Iraq clearly harbored homicidal tendencies toward our country. Does this come as a surprise? And what's the difference between this and catching Osama sipping pina coladas at Saddam's palace?

A brief aside for you who thought the war was unjustifiable: I realize all you flower children are busy making love, not war, but let's stop for a minute, and raise a glass to your boundless insight and prophetic flair.