Posted on 06/17/2004 8:41:17 AM PDT by TexKat
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Thursday insisted Saddam Hussein had a relationship with al-Qaeda but said his administration never asserted that the former Iraqi president had a role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
"The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al-Qaeda is because there was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qaeda," Bush told reporters after a meeting with his Cabinet.
"This administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam and al-Qaeda. We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda," the Republican president said.
"There were numerous contacts between the two," he added, citing reports of a Sudan meeting between al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Iraqi intelligence officers.
His remarks came a day after the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York reported that there was no evidence to support claims of a working relationship between Saddam and the militant network blamed for the attacks that killed 3,000 people.
I saw him say this and posted on another thread that he was quite firm and forceful.
I just saw Dan Goure on MSNBC (one of their ME experts) inform Sam, the anchor, that there was indeed a relationship between Al Qaeda and Saddam.
Facts will always trump spin.
This is brilliant. The commission was already discredited by many, but bit by bit the evidence will show that not even the most artful spin will bestow upon them any measure of credibility.
Not a partisan shot was fired by our side. Just the facts.
The democrat "journalist" wrote.
Excerpt:
Q The Vice President, who I see standing over there, said yesterday that Saddam Hussein has long-established ties to al Qaeda. As you know, this is disputed within the U.S. intelligence community. Mr. President, would you add any qualifiers to that flat statement? And what do you think is the best evidence of it?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Zarqawi. Zarqawi is the best evidence of connection to al Qaeda affiliates and al Qaeda. He's the person who's still killing. He's the person -- and remember the email exchange between al Qaeda leadership and he, himself, about how to disrupt the progress toward freedom?
Saddam Hussein also had ties to terrorist organizations, as well. In other words, he was affiliated with terrorism -- Abu Nidal, the paying of families of suiciders to go kill innocent people. I mean, he was no doubt a destabilizing force. And we did the absolute right thing in removing him from power. And the world is better off with him not in power.
~snip~
The kerfluffle is created by the media saying the President and VP "contradict" the commission, when, as you point out, they don't.
Though I should say, the commission minimizes the Al Qaeda/Saddam connection while at the same time acknowledging there was one.
"...the commission minimizes the Al Qaeda/Saddam connection while at the same time acknowledging there was one."
Being as that is - there is still overall agreement. Shades of agreement, but agreement - what more can we expect? They are all politicians and media types (dogs, cats, and chipmunks) going in the same direction. Give them a hand, not a slap.
In additition to everything else it did...Saddam's Iraq provided safe haven for AQ. Enough of a connection for me.
But if you are saying If I hear an outright lie presented on tv and ought not say so, you can guess again. I will always speak up and correct the record. Again, that is not a "slap".
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