DETAILS CONTRADICT COLEMAN’S WAR STANCE AS BACHMANN’S SILENCE CONTINUES
02/28/2007
ST. PAUL (2/28/07) – New details emerged today from Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann’s podcast interview that contradict Sen. Norm Coleman’s assertions about the war in Iraq. Today also marked day number five of a silent-treatment marathon by Bachmann. Since last Friday, she has refused to answer questions about her claim of a secret agreement to give half of Iraq to Iran for use as a terrorist training zone. Will she also keep silent about her direct contradiction of Sen. Coleman?
In the Feb. 9 St. Cloud Times podcast, Bachmann claimed:
“The location for [the War on Terror] has been chosen by the terrorists. They have chosen essentially the 30-mile radius around Baghdad as the hot spot right now for the global War on Terror…They are choosing the venue for this war, and it’s Baghdad...
“I don’t accept the scenario that it’s a simple civil war, with the proviso that there is a measure of fighting most definitely between the Shi’a and the Sunni, but let’s remember, Shi’a and Sunni were fast friends for years and years and years. This is a recent development that has come up. They’ll go back to being brothers again in their country and they won’t be hated enemies.” [St. Cloud Times CapitolCast, Episode 005, 2/10/07]
In a Jan. 10 press release outlining his support for escalating the Iraq war in Anbar province, Coleman said:
“Baghdad is ground zero for a sectarian civil war… I support the President’s call for reinforcing our troops in Anbar province because that is an area where our military is fighting an enemy that has made Iraq a central front of the War on Terror. This is an entirely different kind of battle than the second war, the sectarian violence raging on the streets of Baghdad.” [Coleman statement, 1/10/07]
“Either these two close Bush allies and Republican members of Congress are getting different intelligence information from the Bush Administration or one of them is fabricating intelligence to garner support for a position,” Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez said. “Either way, the public deserves answers about their contradictory stories on this fundamental issue. Will Representative Bachmann and Senator Coleman explain themselves? Or will they continue to disdain their constituents with the silent treatment?”
This latest development comes on the heels of a firestorm created last week when explosive information emerged about Bachmann’s claims about a secret agreement to partition Iraq. Specifically, she said:
“And half of Iraq, the western, northern portion of Iraq, is going to be called the United…um, uh, I’m sorry I can’t remember the actual name of it now but it’s going to be called... the Iraq State of Islam, something like that. And I’m sorry, I don’t have the official name, but it’s meant to be the training ground for the terrorists. There’s already an agreement made…
“An overwhelming number of the Iranian people oppose their own leader – Amnininajad [sic]… Amnininajad [sic] of Iran has said, imagine a world where there is no United States of America. He seeks the destruction of Israel, the destabilization of the Middle East, and the absolute obliteration of the United States. He also seeks nuclear power… Any, any, um, uh, legitimate source on national security affairs will tell you that if Amnininajad [sic], the president of Iran, has access to nuclear power, he will use it.” [St. Cloud Times CapitolCast, Episode 005, 2/10/07]
Bachmann stoked the fire last Friday when she released a written statement contradicting the comments in a St. Cloud Times podcast:
“I am sorry if my words have been misconstrued… [I]t is difficult to ascertain Iran’s intentions toward Iraq…” [Bachmann statement, 2/23/07]
Bachmann has since refused to speak publicly about this issue. In the last two days both the St. Cloud Times and the West Central Tribune called on Bachmann to end the silence and explain her comments.