The Bush administration never took the position that Saddam was responsible for 9/11. The position, which is completely consistent with the position taken by the former Clinton administration, was that Saddam was a state sponsor of terrorism.
From a pre-war BBC report: "American claims of a link between Iraq and al-Qaeda rest heavily on reports that a Jordanian al-Qaeda associate, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been given a safe haven in Iraq."
news.bbc.co.uk
Which happens to be true. Zarqawi, who is the third most powerful member of Al Qaeda, was given a safe haven in Iraq. If bin Laden is dead, then Zaraqawi is the second most powerful member of Al Qaeda. And he's definitely been behind some recent attacks on US interests, such as the assassination of USAID representative Lawrence Foley.
I posted just a bit upstream about Saddam's support for the Mujahideed e-Khalq, Abu Abbas, and the PLO. I should also mention his support for Ansar al-Islam, closely linked to the Taliban and bin Laden.
csmonitor.com
If you actually read what bin Laden said about the US, you should remember that he was angry at the US because the US enforced the UN sanctions, which Saddam used as an excuse to starve his own citizens.
So to argue that Al Qaeda only became interested in Iraq because of the recent war demonstrates either either a lack of knowledge or a lack of understanding. |
