[Ninja Duck]

Defiant Bush and Blair insist Saddam had al-Qa'ida links
By Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor and David Usborne in New York
18 June 2004

President George Bush and the Prime Minister's Office yesterday defied the independent US commission on 11 September and insisted that there were links between Saddam Hussein and al-Qa'ida.

The report by the commission on Wednesday dealt a devastating blow to the credibility to one of President Bush's reasons for going to war against Iraq by finding there was no credible evidence linking Saddam's regime to Osama bin Laden's terrorist organisation.

In a carefully co-ordinated riposte to the commission, London and Washington both insisted that Saddam had allowed al-Qa'ida to operate inside Iraq before the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US.

"The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al-Qa'ida is because there was a relationship between Iraq and al-Qa'ida," Mr Bush said. "This administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam and al-Qa'ida. We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam Hussein and al-Qa'ida."

A few hours earlier, Tony Blair insisted that Saddam had created "a permissive environment" for terrorists and al-Qa'ida operatives in Iraq.

"The Prime Minister has always said Saddam created a permissive environment for terrorism and we know that the people affiliated to al-Qa'ida operated in Iraq," said a spokesman for Mr Blair. "The Prime Minister always made it clear that Saddam's was a rogue state which threatened the security of the region and the world."

In contrast to the US administration, Tony Blair has carefully avoided claims that Saddam was involved in the 11 September attacks. Even the so-called "dodgy dossier'' avoided making such a claim.

Challenged by The Independent, the Downing Street spokesman said the Government was not claiming a direct link between the attackers on 11 September and Saddam, but insisted there was evidence that Saddam had created a "permissive regime" in which al-Qa'ida could operate.

Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, also refused to back down. He told al-Jazeera television there was a connection between Iraq and al-Qa'ida. "We have seen these connections ... and we stick to that," he said. "We have not said it was related to 9/11."

The link was a key factor in President Bush's justification for the war. But it did not play a part in Mr Blair's argument for action, which rested entirely on Saddam Hussein's supposed weapons of mass destruction.

In a further embarrassment for the Bush administration yesterday, the independent commission reported that America's defence forces failed to respond quickly enough on the morning of 11 September.

http://news.independ...sp?story=532654

I already can't wait to see what proven untruths the next regime---I mean, term---will doggedly stick to!

[Chefelf]

The best part of this whole mess is this: Not only did they prove that there was no link between Iraq and al Qaeda, they actually found evidence that Bin Laden had asked Hussein for help and Hussein refused. That takes the cake.

[Just your average movie goer]

They are clutching at straws, aren't they? Too bad there isn't a larger, more powereful nation that can come in and overthrow the undemocratic government of America.

[Jordan]

You know what's really sad? I bet every country in the middle east, save Iraq, probably does have some sort of link.

I feel sorry for Blair. Does anybody else? I think he had his back up against the wall. It's not easy saying no to the world power when they ask for some help.

This post has been edited by Jordan: 17 June 2004 - 08:06 PM

[Heccubus]

You know what's really sad? I bet every country in the middle east, save Iraq, probably does have some sort of link.

That's a rather rash generalisation.

[J m HofMarN]

Jordan- That's really not cool. It's thinking like that that's the reason for this war. Not even Bin Laden and his nut-wads think that every Christian country is aiding their enemies, Bush relied on racism and ignorance to make the connection between Iraq's secular Sunni moderate rulers and Al Qaeda's extremist shiite radical leaders.

And Blair could have gotten out of it if he wanted to, he probably knew it was a shoddy business but he gambled and he lost.

[J m HofMarN]

And, yeah, there were Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq. If Saddam had found them though they'd likely have been in trouble. However there were more Al Qaeda operatives in another country and all of them were directly involved in the September eleventh attacks. However that country is the US, so by Bush's broad definition of harboring terrorists I suppose we should bomb ourselves, followed by Saudi Arabia.

[jyd]

well im surprised al Q even asked for help, suni vs shiite thing...opposite sides

@ Jordan i would be greatly surprised if Isreal had any connections with al q

[J m HofMarN]

Israel's connection is that htey're one of the main justifiers for Qaeda's actions and it's easy top see why.

[Helena]

I have no sympathy whatsoever for Blair. He's a sycophantic coward who insisted on sucking up to Bush against the advice of just about everyone else in the country, and got absolutely nothing in return. Not only that, he's also pathologically incapable of admitting he's wrong about anything - the only conclusion I can come to is that he's repeated his lies about Iraq and al-Qaida so many times, he's actually started to believe them himself. His party got absolutely hammered in the local elections a couple of weeks ago, and it serves him bloody well right.