This report is beyond bogus. Zarqawi was welcomed into Iraq and treated at an elite, Baghdad hospital reserved for Baathist party elites under Saddam from wounds suffered in Afghanistan. He then went on to co-found the Al Qaeda-affiliated Ansar al Islam with one of Saddam's top intelligence officials. Ansar was located in a portion of northeastern Iraq not under the control of the Kurds as the deceptive information claiming to debunk this information claims. Indeed, Saddam used Ansar to combat anti-Saddam Kurdish forces.
Also, there is LEGIONS of information available to show Saddam worked with Al Qaeda, which even the 9-11 Commission confirmed, not the least of which are the documents from Saddam own's intelligence files showing Iraq and Al Qaeda worked together. The Senate committee never had those documents.
The Senate Intel. Committee was sloppy or purposely negligient in concluding no ties to Saddam and AL Qaeda. The evidence is beyond compelling. The Senate claiming otherwise is perpetuating one of the Big Lies of many Big Lies told by the left about Saddam and Iraq.
A link to a posting rife with evidence of Saddam and Al Qaeda working together. Scroll down into the comments for much, much more:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1335971/posts
Also, Stephen F. Hayes book "The Connection" is a compelling narrative of the substantial evidence of Saddam and Al Qaeda's ties. Even if you dismiss half of it as being phony, it's still compelling.
QJBR didn't become a bona fide al-Qa'ida affiliate until AMZ decided to co-opt the terrorist movements in Iraq, cash in his reputation as being an Afghanistan trained AQ terrorist, and pledge allegiance to UBL. Prior to that, he was trying to run QJBR as his own outfit, but was able to get more attention (and in many ways challenge UBL for the leadership position) by going back to his AQ roots.
In a very vague and indirect way you can make the case that Saddam and al-Qa'ida had a relationship. Certainly no one senior in al-Qa'ida (AMZ was never of any great importance until after 2003). But most of the press reports on the subject were simply wrong, as wrong as the lions share of WMD claims turned out to be. Why we'd sit here all day and bash the MSM, and then trot out their articles as ironclad proof, is someone unusual.
UBL / AQSL (al-Qa'ida Senior Leadership) and Saddam simply didn't work together. They didn't plan 9/11 together, and there's no real evidence, as assessed by the national Intelligence Community, that credibly demonstrates a link. Other than incidental links inside Iraq relating to domestic issues, there's just no meat there.
Both guys are scum, and should be shot on sight, as far as I'm concerned (to include Saddam in his cell), but I don't understand the need to tie them together. There's more than enough dirt on them as it is. I don't like Kim Jong Il, Mugabe, or Ahmedinejad, but that doesn't make them partners. But the fact that they're not partners doesn't make them innocent one iota.