Iraq and 9/11 - who said there was a connection?

Question

I have repeatedly heard comments about how the administration linked Iraq to 9/11 to justify the war. However, I don't recall them EVER specifcally making that link. I am well informed and keep up on the news, and as I recall it was all about containing Saddam and his WMDs - not anything to do with 9/11.

My question is: What specific examples are there, if there are any, of the administration explicitly linking Iraq to 9/11? I would like citations, please. I very much want to know if this is just misinformation, or if they really did link it.

Note, this is a serious questions. No flame wars or extremist answers, please.

Answer 1

"Iraq continues to flaunt its hostility toward America and to support terror." From Bush's 2002 state of the union speech. Although he doesn't say directly that Iraq is connected to 9/11, by saying that they are supporting terrorists led many, many people (including me) that they were connected. I cant believe that so many people have forgotten the reason for going in to Iraq. Or maybe is it because there have been so many reasons that we have forgotten the actual reason?

Answer 2

You won't find any.

What Bush has said is that 9/11 changed his entire mindset and he saw things differently. Groups and organizations who have no formal military organization can intitiate strikes, and our two oceans no longer separate or protect us from international terror.

Clinton should have realized this in 1993 with the first WTC bombing, but did not, which simply emboldened terrorists to strike harder at the embassies and the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia. But Al Qaeda would not stop there. They attacked the USS Cole, and we did nothing. When the terrorists were able to slaughter more than 3,000 Americans in one day, a new president decided to do something and Al Qaeda has had their hands full since.

Al Qaeda is what links Iraq to the War on Terror.

The users on Yahoo Answers who refuse to study their history and claim that Bush lied are doomed to make the same mistakes in history again.

Answer 3

In George W. Bush's "State of the Union" address in January 2003, he said:

"Before September the 11th, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained."(1)

If that's not an attempt to DIRECTLY LINK Iraq with 9/11, I don't know what is. This isn't what some liberal said, this is what the President himself said. Not Keith Olberman, not Jon Stewart, but the President. Right there in that sentence he linked Iraq with 9/11.

Now WHY, if the President didn't think, or want US to think, that there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11, would he say that particular sentence? If he himself didn't think there was a connection, he would have talked about bin Ladin instead. Saddam Hussein is mentioned 19 times in that speech -- bin Ladin is not mentioned at all.

Answer 4

In the movie Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore plays the clip of Rumsfield saying "There were ties between Iraq and 9/11". Straight from a press conference. Now, war supporters, what's your excuse for Rummy?? Did the liberals hire a look-a-like? Or maybe they dubbed someone elses voice over it?

It amazes me to hear the president or members of his administration say something, then hear supporters(Rep, Cons) say that it's not true. What gives?

Answer 5

That is such old information I have forgotten the Names.
But several of the Afghanistan' Insane' leaders were documented even photographed in Baghdad and one was documented to run a training center in Kirkut (?) Just remember the UN( Many nations Agreed including the Security Counsel)
Then add Kuwait the no fly zones Pay off to hamass & hezebola murders.

Answer 6

Its not really Iraq nor al-Qaeda did the 9/11 attacks, it was the greedy Americans who want to get the oil of Iraq by making the twin towers explode and blame al-Qaeda and wage war on Iraq. The oil of Iraq is so precious and Americans know with this oil Iraq will be rich and superpower, and America does not want other countries to become like that because they feel superior over those countries. If they get the oil of Iraq, there is no chance that Iraq will become superpower and America will become a more superpower country.

Answer 7

According to Bush. Iraq is a hostile nation that harbored terrorists, and that Saddam was making Nuclear weapons. The American Administration felt that because the US and Iraq had strained ties, those terrorist could very well use those weapons against the US later in time, to prevent this they did some extreme things as we all know.

*in my opinion i feel that it wasn't necessary at all, because all the terrorist infiltrated Iraq now that the borders aren't very well guarded and no traces of Nuclear Weapons research have been found as of today.

Answer 8

I usually get my politic lessons from The View. They were having this argument yesterday. Elizabeth was saying that the government went into Iraq because they thought that Saddam was harboring and helping Al-queda; who is believed to be behind 9/11.

Answer 9

You know, I've heard it repeatedly too but I always hear it from the liberals. They keep bringing it up even when no one mentions it.

The only "link" is that Al Qaeda had a training camp in north Iraq but there was no direct link between 9-11 and Iraq.

Why do the liberals keep bringing up BS that no one is saying?

Answer 10

A few years ago they trotted out a few sktechy assertions about Saddam meeting some al-Qaeda lieutenants, but mostly it was just unsubstantiated which is why they no longer claim to make the link. Most likely there was some meeting and nothing came of it.