Iraq Boondoggle, Part XXIV

More bad news for BushCo. in the information that continues to come from the 9/11 Commission. I think the opening paragraph from the story in this morning's Wall Street Journal (subscription) says it all:  

The anticipated disclosure by the 9/11 Commission of contacts between Iran and al Qaeda before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks could ratchet up pressure on the White House to explain its subsequent emphasis on a threat from Iraq despite apparently far greater evidence of Iran's terrorist dealings.

The effects of the first wave of information from the Commission have been long-lasting, but not devastating. This revelation should have a larger impact; if people are still listening. This one bit of information shows that Iraq was not the right target and, in fact, despite the involvement of Iran shows that Afghanistan was - and remains - the "central front in the war on terror."
 
Here's more:  

People familiar with the report, expected to be released Thursday, say it will detail evidence that Iran instructed its border guards in late 2000 to allow al Qaeda operatives to pass freely from Afghanistan into Iran, and back, and that at least eight of the Sept. 11 hijackers passed through Iran from late 2000 through February 2001. At least some were allowed to pass without having their passports stamped, allowing them to conceal trips to training camps in Afghanistan.

The eight to 10 hijackers who crossed through are said to have been among the so-called muscle hijackers whose job was to overcome resistance by flight crews and passengers during the hijackings.

The panel's findings are also said to note that Iranian officials contacted al Qaeda leaders after the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and proposed a collaboration on terrorist attacks. But Osama bin Laden spurned the offer because of fear of a backlash by supporters in Saudi Arabia. The commission information is based on reports of statements by al Qaeda detainees during interrogations, and numerous electronic intercepts by the National Security Agency.
The report will say, however, that there isn't any evidence that Iran knew in advance of the Sept. 11 plot. Details of the commission's findings on Iran and al Qaeda were reported earlier on Time magazine's Web site.

Although President Bush some time ago labeled Iran a member of the "axis of evil" along with pre-war Iraq, the administration's main focus consistently was on a military response to Iraq. Both Mr. Bush and Vice President Cheney cited alleged evidence of al Qaeda contacts with Iraq to justify the war.

To me the fact that this kind of information is making it into the final, bi-partisan report indicates that the culpability of BushCo. can only be greater than indicated, not less. How much of the supporting evidence is redacted remains to be seen, but to those paying attention the conclusion is obvious: Bush and his covey of neocon knuckleheads knowingly sacrificed our capability to deal with al Qaeda to pursue a preconceived war against Saddam Hussein in Iraq. This boondoggle left us all vulnerable to continued attacks from al Qaeda and provided added impetus for recruiting of terrorists and incited further hatred against us throughout the Muslim world.