Bush Administration Released Al Qaeda Leaders Who Plotted Detroit Attack To Art Therapy Rehabilitation Program

Juan Cole 12/29/2009

Liberal Values: Bush Administration Released Al Qaeda Leaders Who Plotted Detroit Attack To Art Therapy Rehabilitation Program Liberal Values

Well there isn’t any doubt that the State Department under Condi Rice and Bush gave Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian terrorist, his multiple-entry US visa. And it was probably influenced by his family’s wealth; rich people get visas easier. And, yes, Bush let the Yemeni al-Qaeda guys go from Guantanamo.

But if some Republicans were not being so hypocritical as to try to blame the Dems for poor security, these things wouldn’t be worth mentioning. Presumably the Guantanamo authorities had no evidence that could put the Yemeni al-Qaeda guys away, and there was no reason to deny Abdulmutallab a visa 18 months ago.

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About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page