Why are “close ties” between Libya and the U.S. during the War on Terror such a big surprise?

03 Sep, 2011 by TrogloPundit

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The story:

Tripoli Files Show CIA Working With Libya

The Central Intelligence Agency and Libyan intelligence services developed such a tight relationship during the George W. Bush administration that the U.S. shipped terror suspects to Libya for interrogation and suggested the questions they should be asked, according to documents found in Libya’s External Security agency headquarters.

The relationship was close enough that the CIA moved to establish “a permanent presence” in Libya in 2004, according to a note from Stephen Kappes, at the time the No. 2 in the CIA’s clandestine service, to Libya’s then-intelligence chief, Moussa Koussa.

2004. The war in Iraq was a year old. We’d been in Afghanistan for…what, two years? Not quite three? Kaddafi had promised not to build any WMD and, yeah, I know, we should trust Quaddafi about as far as we can throw him, but still. It was a rough time for us, foreign policy-wise, and Gadhaffi was at least talking like an ally.

A Middle Eastern ally, at a time when we were at war in two different Middle Eastern countries.

So we forged alliances and got closer. This is a surprise?

Plus, while the New York Times story includes what sure look like more damning details, it also admits…

It was impossible to verify (the documents’) authenticity, and none of them were written on letterhead.

…in the 5th paragraph.

So, to recap: nobody should be surprised, and we still aren’t really sure what’s what. Blame Bush.

(Posted by The TrogloPundit.)