How many Bush supporters still believe the lie that there was a link between Saddam and Al Qaeda?

Question

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/06/344/

Pentagon report says no link between Saddam and Al-Qaeda
Fri Apr 6, 11:46 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) -Interrogations of Saddam Hussein and seized documents confirmed the former Iraqi regime had no links with Al-Qaeda, a Pentagon report said Friday, contradicting the US case for the 2003 invasion.

A two-page resume of the report was published in February, but on Friday the Pentagon declassified the whole 120-page document.

According to the inspector general of the US Defense Department, information obtained after Saddam's fall confirmed the prewar position of the Central Intelligence Agency and Pentagon intelligence that the Iraqi government had had no substantial contacts with Al-Qaeda.

This position was shored up by interrogations of Saddam, the former Iraqi president and other top officials captured by the US-led coalition forces in Iraq, the report said.

It contradicts a strong argument for the invasion made by the administration of President George W. Bush that Baghdad had a working relationship with Al-Qaeda.

The network, based in Afghanisation and led by Osama bin Laden, was behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States in which almost 3,000 people were killed.

The report noted that the office of then-undersecretary of defense Douglas Feith, one of the foremost advocates for invading Iraq after the 2001 attacks, had ignored the CIA's position.

He characterized the supposed Al-Qaeda-Iraq relationship as "mature" and "symbiotic" in a September 2002 briefing to the chief of staff of Vice President Dick Cheney.

The Feith briefing alleged that the two cooperated in 10 areas, including training, financing and logistics.

But the new report says the US intelligence community had concluded at the time there were "no conclusive signs" of links between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, and that "direct cooperation ... has not been established" between the two.

Prior to the war there was little public dispute inside the United States over the Bush administration's assertions linking Iraq and bin Laden's group.

But since the invasion, a number of intelligence officials have alleged the White House and its backers ignored their intelligence and "cherry picked" information to support their arguments for a war.

In a radio interview Wednesday Cheney insisted on a prewar link between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, saying the group was working in Iraq "before we even arrived on the scene."

"As I say, they were present before we invaded Iraq," Cheney told conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh.

Answer 1

Bush/Cheney anti-terrorism record before September 11, 2001:
þ Backed off Clinton administration's anti-terrorism efforts.
þ Shelved Hart-Rudman report.
þ Appointed new anti-terrorism task force under Dick Cheney. Group did not even meet before 9/11.
þ Called for cuts in anti-terrorism efforts by the Department of Defense.
þ Gave no priority to anti-terrorism efforts by Justice Department.
þ Ignored warnings from Sandy Berger and Louis Freeh about the urgency of terrorist threats.
þ Halted Predator drone tracking of Osama bin Laden.
þ Did nothing in wake of August 6 C.I.A. report to president saying Al Qaeda attack almost certain.
þ By failing to order any coordination of intelligence data, missed opportunity to stop the 9/11 plot as Clinton-Gore had stopped the millennium plot.
þ Blamed Clinton-Gore for 9/11.
And here's the Bush/Cheney anti-terrorism record after September 11, 2001:
þ Prevented a bipartisan investigation of the circumstances and intelligence failures around 9/11
þ Later, when pressed into allowing an investigatory commission, the "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks", Bush appointed an alleged war criminal (Kissinger) to head it up.
þ When Kissinger quit amid a storm of conflict of interest allegations, 15 months after 9/11, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks had no office, desks or even a telephone number.
þ Bush/Cheney then neglected to fund the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks.
þ Bush/Cheney bombed and invaded Afghanistan, and then installed an ex-employee of Unocal to govern the country, assuring that Unocal will get their long sought trans-Afgahnistan pipeline, and also assuring that the US will be even more hated in the region.
þ Bush/Cheney bombed and invaded Iraq, assuring thousands of new terrorist recruits from all over the Middle East would sign up to attack the United States.
þ Bush was forced by Congress, in March of 2003, to add a paltry $9 million in funding to his war budget for the commission (for comparison, the Starr/Clinton investigation cost $33.5 million and it's focus was a real estate deal gone wrong).
þ Bush/Cheney pushed for additional tax reductions for the super-wealthy, unprecedented during war time, thus ensuring less funding would be available for terrorist prevention.
And here's the Bush/Cheney anti-terrorism record after September 11, 2001:
þ Prevented a bipartisan investigation of the circumstances and intelligence failures around 9/11
þ Later, when pressed into allowing an investigatory commission, the "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks", Bush appointed an alleged war criminal (Kissinger) to head it up.
þ When Kissinger quit amid a storm of conflict of interest allegations, 15 months after 9/11, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks had no office, desks or even a telephone number.
þ Bush/Cheney then neglected to fund the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks.
þ Bush/Cheney bombed and invaded Afghanistan, and then installed an ex-employee of Unocal to govern the country, assuring that Unocal will get their long sought trans-Afgahnistan pipeline, and also assuring that the US will be even more hated in the region.
þ Bush/Cheney bombed and invaded Iraq, assuring thousands of new terrorist recruits from all over the Middle East would sign up to attack the United States.
þ Bush was forced by Congress, in March of 2003, to add a paltry $9 million in funding to his war budget for the commission (for comparison, the Starr/Clinton investigation cost $33.5 million and it's focus was a real estate deal gone wrong).
þ Bush/Cheney pushed for additional tax reductions for the super-wealthy, unprecedented during war time, thus ensuring less funding would be available for terrorist prevention.
And here's the Bush/Cheney anti-terrorism record after September 11, 2001:
þ Prevented a bipartisan investigation of the circumstances and intelligence failures around 9/11
þ Later, when pressed into allowing an investigatory commission, the "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks", Bush appointed an alleged war criminal (Kissinger) to head it up.
þ When Kissinger quit amid a storm of conflict of interest allegations, 15 months after 9/11, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks had no office, desks or even a telephone number.
þ Bush/Cheney then neglected to fund the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks.
þ Bush/Cheney bombed and invaded Afghanistan, and then installed an ex-employee of Unocal to govern the country, assuring that Unocal will get their long sought trans-Afgahnistan pipeline, and also assuring that the US will be even more hated in the region.
þ Bush/Cheney bombed and invaded Iraq, assuring thousands of new terrorist recruits from all over the Middle East would sign up to attack the United States.
þ Bush was forced by Congress, in March of 2003, to add a paltry $9 million in funding to his war budget for the commission (for comparison, the Starr/Clinton investigation cost $33.5 million and it's focus was a real estate deal gone wrong).
þ Bush/Cheney pushed for additional tax reductions for the super-wealthy, unprecedented during war time, thus ensuring less funding would be available for terrorist prevention.

Answer 2

Many,many, many,many Americans were and continue to be mislead (Or refuse to believe the most recent Pentagon reports) regarding the Al-Qaeda/Iraqi link-up. My 78 yr old father emphaticly states we must fight them over there, rather than wait for them to come over here.... NO Iraqis were among the 911 attackers,but, many people believe they were. The Bush Administration has encouraged this ignorance. This makes exiting Iraq all the more difficult. What a hornets nest of problems. The American populace needs to wise up and hold those 'Bushie' Republican Senators accountable... This Administration can be stopped from doing further damage to our Country. Come on you Republican Senators apply some courage. Well, O.K. ALOT of courage! Principles over Personalities.. Conviction over Cash....Keep it Simple Stupid. Get the drift???

Answer 3

Your source...what do you expect from a Liberal newspaper? Makes no difference whether Al Qaeda was there or not before American troops got there, they showed up in mass after we went in to dispose of Saddam. Plus, its Al Qaeda that is keeping the bloodshed going on there now. And if we pull out/cut and run, etc, they will follow us back here.

Answer 4

YOu know what ?
you should be asking why dont we lift the rules of engagment
and wipe out the bearded wonders over there.
because surely , they would remove your head for far less than the assinine question you neolibs keep posting

Answer 5

Do you have a clue who Abu Abbas was, or is 1985 ancient history to you? He was found in Iraq just after the invasion, living under his own name. Are you aware that Saddam would pay $10,000 and up to the families of suicide bombers?

These are not insignificant facts, nor are they matters of opinion.

Answer 6

who really knows this? the whole Middle East has been a hotbed of contention against the USA for so long that it wouldn't surprise me if there were some sort of connection!

Answer 7

Human nature being what it is, people believe what they want to believe. Never mind the facts.

Most republicans are still solidly pro-war. They "know" the war is "right", and if you refute one rationale for it, they'll simply trot out another - and call you "unpatriotic" while they're at it.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, lack of information and formal education in the UNITED STATES DOMINATES the character of our beautiful country. My answer to this question is "too many....millions."

Answer 9

all terrorists and middle easterners who seek to destroy Israel are linked in many ways. direct link between Al-Qaeda and Saddam?, maybe, maybe not. linked in cause? no doubt about it.

Answer 10

Hey Jim what flavor is the Kool-Aid today?

Answer 11

well keep in mind that our government isnt always honest with what they tell us.