NY Rep. Hinchey’s claims about Osama bin Laden "will strike a lot of people as crazy"

Speaking on MSNBC this week, NY Congressman Maurice Hinchey accused the Bush Administration of intentionally allowing Osama bin Laden to escape after 9/11.

Here’s the video.

Hinchey, a Democrat whose district abuts that of Glens Falls Rep. Scott Murphy, was challenged repeatedly in his claim by host David Shuster.

“[T]o suggest that they would deliberately let, deliberately let Osama bin Laden get away so they could justify the war in Iraq,” Shuter said. “That will strike a lot of people as crazy.”

Hinchey stood by his claim and clarified that he wasn’t being misunderstood.

It’s a remarkable conspiracy theory, the sort of rhetorical bomb that no politician should hurl without hard and fast evidence.

(Not least because it’s utterly implausible.)

In the interview, Hinchey offers no such proof, but claims that “the leader of the military operation in the United States called back our military…”

“We could have captured most of the Taliban and we could have captured Al Quaeda. But we didn’t. And we didn’t because of the need felt by the previous Administration and the previous head of the military…that need to attack Iraq.”

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