In sum, there is strong evidence that Iran facilitated the transit of al Qaeda members into and out of Afghanistan before 9/11, and that some of these were future 9/11 hijackers. There also is circumstantial evidence that senior Hezbollah operatives were closely tracking the travel of some of these future muscle hijackers into Iran in November 2000. However, we cannot rule out the possibility of a remarkable coincidence-that is, that Hezbollah was actually focusing on some other group of individuals traveling from Saudi Arabia during this same time frame, rather than the future hijackers.127

We have found no evidence that Iran or Hezbollah was aware of the planning for what later became the 9/11 attack. At the time of their travel through Iran, the al Qaeda operatives themselves were probably not aware of the specific details of their future operation.

After 9/11, Iran and Hezbollah wished to conceal any past evidence of cooperation with Sunni terrorists associated with al Qaeda. A senior Hezbollah official disclaimed any Hezbollah involvement in 9/11.128

So, I don’t think it’s fair to suggest McCain is somehow confused by the realities of Sunni-Shi’a conflict — perhaps it is the mainstream media, as well as most of us, who think that the Sunni-Shi’a divide makes it somehow impossible for there to be a relationship between the two groups in any way. To your credit, you have said this all along. But it is mistaken of people like Sen. Obama to say, “Just yesterday, we heard Sen. McCain confuse Sunni and Shiite, Iran and al-Qaida..Maybe that is why he voted to go to war with a country that had no al-Qaida ties. Maybe that is why he completely fails to understand that the war in Iraq has done more to embolden America’s enemies than any strategic choice that we have made in decades.” Such a comment ignores past connections that have been made between Iran and al Qaeda.

First, McCain didn’t claim some kind of lukewarm support for Al Qaeda, he claimed that it was “common knowledge” members of Al Qaeda were being trained in Iran. Second, allowing transit through a company would probably be seen as at best indifference rather than support.

I think it would be a far stretch to say for example that the United States supported the 9/11 terrorists because we allowed them to live in the United States and attend flight school here. At best, the incompetent Bush administration was indifferent to the presence of known terrorists living among us.