The most amazing part of all of this to me is that when 
    the Clinton administration launched Operation Desert Fox 
    in December 1998, Saddam's response was to quickly 
    dispatch his top intelligence operative to bin Laden. Bin 
    Laden then issued a condemnation of the U.S.-led air 
    strikes and called on Muslims to retaliate against 
    British and American targets. We know this because the 
    worldwide media reported [it]. So, when you write, "it's 
    not surprising that Saddam saw al Qaeda as a vehicle 
    through which he could operate outside of his box," I 
    think you are right in ways many will never admit.

    One more point. Saddam had good reasons to sneak out of 
    his box, and not just the motive of revenge. Saddam had 
    been humiliated by our military in 1991, and living in 
    a "box" was no way to restore his prestige and 
    credibility. Indeed, one suspects it was no way to live 
    if he hoped to remain a feared figure within his own 
    circle.