Susan Lindauer: How Obama Got It (All) Wrong on Libya

In the U.S. battle with Libya, Americans are witnessing the consequence of gutting U.S. Intelligence during the Iraqi War, when President Bush drove out CIA officers and Assets who criticized his War policy. In my case, I got slapped with the Patriot Act and thrown in prison on a Texas Military Base, while Republican leaders reinvented the entire story of my work on 9/11 and Iraqi Pre-War Intelligence. It was not pretty.

The consequences for intelligence gathering and policymaking are not pretty, either. Last week President Obama demonstrated the most stunning ignorance by declaring that Libya—of all countries— has some link to terrorism. Obama was trying to justify NATO's War against Gadhaffi's government. However his argument exposed whopping gaps in the intelligence base that his Administration has been drawing from.

This time it's not Obama's fault. When Assets got forced out by Bush and Cheney, a lot of deep knowledge got shoved out the door with us.

The good news is that those intelligence gaps can be filled quickly, and we can throw the brakes on this Libyan War at once—just like our French allies are doing at this very moment. Really it's a no-brainer.

Gadhaffi Has No Ties to Terrorism

Forget last week's histrionics. Gadhaffi burst forth in hyperbole rallying hundreds of thousands of Libyan supporters in Green Square, threatening to take his fight with NATO into Europe. But there's no saber behind that rattling. After three months of NATO bombings that have struck Libyan homes, Tripoli's famed Nassar University, the National Museum, businesses, hotels and restaurants, it was Gadhaffi's way of demanding how Europe would like it if the tables were reversed.

Gadhaffi's got no ties to terrorism. Way back in 1995, Gadhaffi became the first leader in the world to report Osama bin Laden to Interpol. Egypt posted the first arrest warrant for Bin Laden in 1996. But Libya was the very first to warn about Bin Laden's agenda. I know for a fact that Osama and Gadhaffi hated each other because Gadhaffi supports a socialist version of Islam with a strong emphasis on women's rights and modernity. Islamic fundamentalists—including Libya's Rebels— don't consider Gadhaffi a "true Muslim" for those reasons. Gadhaffi's too moderate for their religious tastes—something President Obama should consider before signing a blank check to Libya's Rebels.

As for state sponsorship of terrorism, Gadhaffi evicted terrorists from the sanctuary of Libya's borders by the summer of 1998-1999. That's when Abu Nidal was forced to hightail it to Egypt and Iraq. Lesser known terrorists disappeared in the desert. How do I know this? Because that was my operation which started in 1995. It was supremely successful, and marked a positive transition in Libya's efforts to build better relations with the U.S. and Mediterranean nations.

The Lockerbie Bombing

Gadhaffi haters like to throw out Lockerbie to remind Europeans and Americans of Libya's dark past long ago. In March 1999, after 7 years of U.N. sanctions, Gadhaffi's government handed over two Libyans for Trial in the bombing of Pan Am 103, which exploded over the town of Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. Regardless, Gadhaffi fiercely denied any involvement in the Lockerbie conspiracy.

As with so many other terrorist cases, appearances of Libya's guilt prove deceiving. Two star witnesses against Libya have now recanted their testimony, and confessed to receiving $4 million dollar payments each from the U.S. and Britain. It's an ugly stain on the International Criminal Court.

The good news for truth seekers is that last week the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee moved to launch a new inquiry into the Lockerbie case. Christine Grahame said: "There are so many conspiracy theories around now that I think it's time that we had a clean, clear look at the role of Scottish justice in this. The issue is not whether Libya, or any other country, was guilty. The issue is, was Abdelbaset al-Megrahi rightly convicted, and we have not heard the answer to that yet."

That decision should be strongly applauded by everyone who champions integrity in government oversight. If American leaders would show the same concern for reexamining 9/11, it would go a long way to restoring confidence in our government.

In fact, there's a lot of fresh leads for a Scottish inquiry to pursue. The Justice Committee could start by opening the deposition of my own CIA handler, Dr Richard Fuisz, sworn under oath in the U.S. District Court of Virginia, in the closing days of the Lockerbie Trial. It's got some eye popping information, for sure.

At my very first meeting with Dr. Fuisz in September, 1994--- and throughout our years together— he gave me the real skinny on Lockerbie. Dr. Fuisz swore that Pan Am 103 was a false flag operation to hide a rogue CIA team's involvement in heroin trafficking out of the Bekaa Valley during the Terry Anderson hostage crisis in Lebanon.

Dr. Fuisz explained that when Defense Intelligence officer, Maj. Charles Dennis McKee and CIA officer, Matthew Gannon, stationed in Beirut, complained that a double agent was compromising efforts to rescue the hostages, the CIA and FBI sent a team to Lebanon for a fact-finding investigation. Investigators were flying back to Washington on Pan Am 103 with evidence exposing the heroin ring when a bomb exploded on the plane. Intriguingly, shortly before, the State Department issued an internal travel warning to U.S. Embassies that Pan Am 103 would be targeted for bombing on that day, and everybody should get off the plane.
The sudden exodus of government personnel freed up seats for students from Syracuse University, flying home stand by for the Christmas Holidays. The college students died.

Dr. Fuisz frequently swore that he could identify every terrorist involved in the attack. Because he is such high ranking CIA operative, he has been forbidden from speaking publicly about his role in events leading up to the bombing. Throughout the 1990s, he was repeatedly threatened with 10 years in prison if he broke his silence.

Imagine then the herculean effort on my part to force the CIA to permit Dr. Fuisz to give closed door testimony in front of Judge White in Virginia. In the process of speaking out myself, I made a lot of enemies at the Justice Department, who proved they had a long memory during my 5 year indictment on the Patriot Act. My desire to call Lockerbie attorney, Edward MacKechnie as my chief witness to prove my relationship with Dr. Fuisz and my standing as an Intelligence Asset played a significant role in why the Justice Department fought my demand for a Trial. A Trial would have reopened questions about the Lockerbie conviction and Libya's guilt. It also would have exposed the CIA's continued role in heroin trafficking to finance black ops through the 1990s.

The CIA was fighting to protect itself. When my efforts succeeded in forcing the CIA to allow the deposition to go forward, the CIA stipulated that Dr. Fuisz's deposition must be sealed in the United States, so that Americans would have zero knowledge that his testimony existed or what it contained. True to his word, inside the deposition, there's a double seal that contains a list of 11 names of the Lockerbie conspirators and a map outlining the conspiracy.

It would be supremely valuable for the Scottish Justice Committee to open that double seal and review the full deposition. At that point, a decision could be made whether Dr. Fuisz should be subpoenaed again to answer further questions. However already there's a substantial body of evidence that has never been viewed by Scottish Judges at all.
If Scottish families want justice in Lockerbie, that's the best way forward. As for the rest, there's nothing to fear. Gadhaffi's arm does not reach into Europe. He's got no ties to terrorism whatsoever.

Al Qaeda in Libya—More War Crimes Videos

The same cannot be said about NATO Rebels. Go to www.obamaslibya.com, and see for yourself. Graphic videos captured by Libyan refugees on phone cameras portray savage violence identical to Al Qaeda, carried out by NATO Rebels. It's not surprising, given that many NATO Rebels have returned from fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and the Balkans. They have brought extreme cruelty home with them. Their actions wildly contradict the image NATO has stage managed on CNN and Al Jazeera to appeal for U.S. military aid.
• NATO Rebels have been caught on video beheading Gadhaffi soldiers. We've got new video from one beheaded man's family, proving the video was shot in Libya (not Iraq, as some speculated) and showing the family reaction to this heinous crime.
• Video shows NATO Rebels cutting up bodies of dead soldiers and force feeding it to Prisoners of War.
• They routinely cut the throats of prisoners in contravention of the Geneva Conventions of War.
• NATO Rebels also use castration and sodomy to punish young men who refuse to adopt the rebel cause.
Video documentation of those war crimes and new family testimonials about their loved ones can be seen on www.obamaslibya.com. It's posted by Federal Jack.com. The Feds crashed it once, but Federal Jack is committed to keeping the videos on-line permanently. If it comes down for a few days, it will go back up. These guys are not afraid to speak truth to power. And that's what's happening. We're committed to sounding the alarms and exposing who these Rebels really are.

The Libyan Opposition are Al Qaeda. After a decade working against terrorism, that's not something I am going to accept quietly. As a former Asset, it would be grossly irresponsible for me to stay silent knowing what I do. But really everyone of us who oppose brutal acts of violence should feel obligated to speak out against such horrific war crimes against any population. That NATO should launch a "humanitarian war" on behalf of such a savage group as the Libyan Rebels appalls me.

Libyan families are furious. They blame NATO. Tribal Leaders in Libya plan to seek mega-damages from NATO governments to compensate Libyan families for War crimes committed by the Rebels. Replacing Gadhaffi might satisfy Britain and France. But payment of damages is now required to satisfy Libya. NATO governments would be wise to follow in the steps of France and stop all bombings immediately, acknowledging that NATO was duped by the Rebels if only to protect their Treasuries.

Financial damages are already estimated at $2.8 billion, according to Patrick Haseldine, an expert on Libya's conflict with NATO. And the costs rise daily.

Libya's Ministry of Health has compiled statistics of civilian deaths and injuries caused by NATO bombings from 3/19/11-6/27/11. The findings are confirmed by the Red Crescent Society (Islam's version of the Red Cross), civil defense workers in the bombed neighborhoods, and Nassar University in Tripoli.

During the first 100 days of NATO bombings, 928 adults were killed, and 4,411 injured. NATO bombs also killed 141 children and injured 641. Of those seriously injured, 655 are still under in hospitals, while 4,397 have been released to their families for outpatient care.

Last Chance for the Middle Class

Given that the U.S. has just spent 10 years fighting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Iraq, those deceptions are unforgivable from nations that call themselves "allies" to the United States. As a former Asset who worked in anti-terrorism, I am smoldering in rage for it. NATO has actively deceived President Obama, and abused the trust of the United States. There is no doubt that War with Libya would pull down America's Middle Class Taxpayers, who are expected to finance this debacle of European Imperialism.

President Obama has inherited two catastrophic Wars from President Bush, which are bleeding the U.S Treasury. If the U.S. engages in War with Libya, America is guaranteed to lose another 20 percent of Middle Class, already struggling with job loss and threats of foreclosure. It's a frightening time for many families. If President Obama persists, he will have shown no better judgment than George Bush.

The good news is there's no reason for U.S. military action to continue. Obama can stop the War against Libya right now—just like France.
Really, it's a no-brainer.

Susan Lindauer covered the Libya House at the United Nations from 1995 to 2003, and spearheading negotiations for the Lockerbie Trial. She is the author of "Extreme Prejudice: The Terrifying Story of the Patriot Act and the Cover Ups of 9/11 and Iraq."

© Scoop Media