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McCain Called Bin Laden a 'Freedom Fighter'

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posted on Sep, 28 2008 @ 05:00 AM
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In last night’s debate, John McCain said 'After we were able to help the Afghan freedom fighters drive the Russians out of Afghanistan we washed our hands of the the region.'


These ‘freedom fighters’ were also known as mujahideen. The US and CIA trained and recruited Muslim extremists from all over the world. 35,000 muslim radicals from 43 Islamic countries would get training with the Afghan mujahideen. One of the first non Afghan volunteers to join the mujahideen was Osama bin Laden, a businessman from a wealthy Suadi family. Bin laden would assist the mujahideen by recruiting over 4,000 Saudi nationals and working closely with the CIA to raise money from private Saudi citizens starting the Maktab al-Khidamar, an organization that sent money arms and fighter to the mujahideen.

By referring to the mujahideen as 'freedom fighters,' McCain exposes the root of his foreign policy, a misguided view on good and evil. Since the Russians were bad, the mujahideen must be freedom fighters. So in funding and helping the 'freedom fighters', we actually created Al Qaeda and the Taliban. This parallels his policy in Iraq since Al Qaeda is bad and Muqtada al-Sadr and the Mahdi army are fighting them, the Mahdi army must be good and we should fund them, creating one villain to fight another villain.

The outdated, interventionist US foreign policy has cost a lot of money an created many unjust regimes. McCain has once again shown how out of touch he is with reality by still calling the mujahideen, Freedom Fighters, when their leaders and members have gone on to form some of the most deadliest organizations on the planet. The mujahideen was not fighting for freedom, they were fighting for the same islamic extremism that threatens us now.



posted on Sep, 28 2008 @ 12:58 PM
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Your headline is lie - Mccain as you reference in the body of the post was
referring to the Afghans of the 1980's who drove the Soviets out. Nowhere
does Mccain refer to Bin Laden or call him a freedom fighter. In fact Bin
Laden was a late comer to Afghanistan.

Try telling the truth next time....



posted on Sep, 28 2008 @ 01:10 PM
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reply to post by thedman
 


These terse times...... we can easily war against each other in the name of our own personal "truths". I put that in quotes, as our own truths are not measurable, they are subjective. They are as elusive as the word "fact".

I think your thread would be better received if you expressed your own opinions of the view you started the thread with, and identify where McCain specifically said this.

First, this would allow us a basis of debate, and more importantly,

Second, would compel you to examine your statement and see if you really wanted to pitch your tent there.

Anyway, welcome to ATS. There's a lot to discover here, perhaps things more important than politics.

Cheers

[edit on 28-9-2008 by argentus]



posted on Sep, 28 2008 @ 03:51 PM
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Originally posted by thedman
Your headline is lie - Mccain as you reference in the body of the post was
referring to the Afghans of the 1980's who drove the Soviets out. Nowhere
does Mccain refer to Bin Laden or call him a freedom fighter. In fact Bin
Laden was a late comer to Afghanistan.

Try telling the truth next time....


Your rudeness is unbecoming, particularly as you don't appear to have done your research. You are the one mis-stating the facts here.



From the BBC News:

Sponsored by US and Pakistan

His power is founded on a personal fortune earned by his family's construction business in Saudi Arabia.

Attacks linked to Bin Laden
1993 World Trade Centre bomb
1996 Killing of 19 US soldiers in Saudi
Nairobi and Dar es Salaam bombs
2000 Attack on USS Cole in Yemen
Born in Saudi Arabia to a Yemeni family, Bin Laden left Saudi Arabia in 1979 to fight against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

The Afghan jihad was backed with American dollars and had the blessing of the governments of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

He received security training from the CIA itself, according to Middle Eastern analyst Hazhir Teimourian.

While in Afghanistan, he founded the Maktab al-Khidimat (MAK), which recruited fighters from around the world and imported equipment to aid the Afghan resistance against the Soviet army.

Egyptians, Lebanese, Turks and others - numbering thousands in Bin Laden's estimate - joined their Afghan Muslim brothers in the struggle against an ideology that spurned religion.



posted on Oct, 8 2008 @ 05:35 AM
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How did Obama miss his chance at jumping all over such an outrageously stupid thing to say....wasn't knowledge of foreign affairs supposed to be McCain's strength? You couldn't script a more blatant gaffe without putting Michael Richards on stage.



posted on Oct, 8 2008 @ 05:39 AM
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reply to post by ufo_spider
 


One mans terrorist is anothers freedom fighter.

And why are they so bad for standing up for what they believe in?



posted on Oct, 8 2008 @ 06:08 AM
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Bin Laden was a freedom fighter, but now he is a terrorist.



posted on Oct, 8 2008 @ 06:29 AM
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reply to post by ufo_spider
 


I did'nt watch it but for what I can gather it seems more like his talking about Americas actions and veiws of the time.

Besides America is renouned for using who it wants for what it wants hence they washed their hands of them when they got what they wanted.

As for refering to Osama as a freedom fighter in todays world America is not trying to get anyone out of anywhere, where Al Qaeda can assist and until that situation occues again they will be terrorists not freedom fighters




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