Evidence links Saddam to 9-11, Inhofe says

The Daily Oklahoman ^ | 4-15-2004 | Associated Press

[CharlieOK1]

TULSA -- Sen. Jim Inhofe says evidence exists linking deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The Oklahoma Republican said Wednesday that he plans a speech on the Senate floor next week to outline the connection despite the Bush administration's position that no such link exists.

Inhofe says the president looked a "little insecure" and "beaten up" during his televised news conference Tuesday night that came after an increase in violence and insurgency in occupied Iraq.

"The biggest mistake the administration made is (the president) let (Sen.) Ted Kennedy and others sucker him into dropping the ball on the connection between Saddam Hussein and 9/11," the Oklahoma Republican told the Tulsa World's Washington bureau.

If Bush had outlined the evidence linking Saddam and the attacks, the public would better understand the case for going to war in Iraq, said Inhofe, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

President Bush, in justifying the U.S. invasion of Iraq, has said Saddam has had a long relationship with the al-Qaida terror network responsible for the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Critics have said that implied to the American people that Saddam, who is in U.S. custody, had a role in the suicide hijackings that killed more than 3,000 people.

But Bush said in September that there is no evidence that Saddam was involved.

[CharlieOK1]

Did a search and surprisingly didn't see this posted...

Haven't heard when this speech is happening, but thought it would be big news.

[Peach]

It's about darned time.

I sent him a letter a few weeks ago asking him to at least make the links between Iraq and AQ, fully understanding they might not wish to make the link directly to 9/11.

[WinOne4TheGipper]

I can't wait to see it.

[onedoug]

By his co-opting of Islamism, Saddam is as responsible for its war on the West as is anyone.

[Tennessean4Bush]

Wow. A Republican detailing the Sadaam - 9/11 links on the Senate floor. I am sure all the media are ready to cover this. Yep, the presses are stopping as we speak. Whew! Now we can all breathe easier.

[Steven W.]

Remember Salman Pak!

[OXENinFLA]

I will watch out for this.

[Lunatic Fringe]

I doubt the Taliban had any involvement in planning 9/11 either, but that didn't make them any less culpable.

[TBall]

Jim Inhofe, isn't he that guy that during the Clinton years had the propeller of his plane fall off during flight?

[dead]

despite the Bush administration's position that no such link exists.

This is simply not true.

The Bush Administration’s position from day one through today is that they have not found any proof that such a link exists, but they have not ruled it out.

Cheney has been particularly vocal about the “circumstantial” evidence that such a link may exist.

[cweese]

...i disagree. regardless of their "frosty" relationship, as you put it, they both intended harm upon the U.S. are you aware of the salma-pak (al-queda) training facility in northern iraq? it even had a 727 fuselage for training purposes...

[cyncooper]

Ping

[Frank_Discussion]

Welcome to FR.

There's a poster who periodically posts the evidence trail between Saddam and AQ, and if that gets re-posted here, you'll understand how deep they were in bed with each other.

(Unless you're Moby, of course, which would disqualify you from that "understanding" thing...)

[Semper Paratus]

Is the Administration finally giving their Congressional allies "Full Metal Jackets" to use?

[cyncooper]

Yes. It was after devastating tornadoes hit the state and he was flying home to view the damage. Managed to land the thing, obviously, and it was amazing it didn't get wider coverage since it's such a dramatic story.

If I hadn't been reading FR I'd never have heard about it.

[eyespysomething]

Welcome to FR, defy.

As far as i recall, with al-qaeda being miliantly and fundamentally Islamic, relations between them and saddam were frosty at best, weren't they? they wouldn't ever have helped each other out...

Please do a search on Iraq and Al-Qaeda ties in FR, and read the articles.

Iraq intelligence and Al-Qaeda were meeting regularly for years, for one example.

Saddam was paying Palestinian suicide bomber families, as another example.

[Egregious Philbin]

it even had a 727 fuselage for training purposes...

And Baathist posters on the walls, something al-Qaeda would not have approved of.

[areafiftyone]

This will go nowhere. He needs to get this out in the media not on the Senate floor. Media is what the people look at and read - especially working people - not CSpan on the Senate Floor. Its a great idea but he needs to get on the Sunday talk shows - Get on CNN - MSNBC - Fox. Get it out there. Hardly anyone I know has time to watch Cspan but they do have time to read the papers and watch news at night.