Bush Defends Cheney's Assertion of Saddam Hussein's Ties to Al Qaeda

Strategic Insights -

President Bush defended Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that Saddam Hussein had longstanding ties with Al Qaeda, despite critics charging that the White House had no new proof of a connection. At a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bush said Hussein "had ties to terrorist organizations," though he did not specifically mention Al Qaeda. This stance contradicts previous statements by Bush, who has said there was "no evidence" linking Hussein to the 9/11 attacks.

Key Takeaways:

  • President Bush defended Vice President Dick Cheney's assertion that Saddam Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda, stating that Hussein "had ties to terrorist organizations."
  • Cheney's assertion was made despite critics charging that the White House had no new proof of a connection.
  • Bush's stance contradicts previous statements by the president, who has said there was "no evidence" linking Hussein to the 9/11 attacks.
  • An April poll by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes found that 57 percent of Americans believed Iraq was helping Al Qaeda before the war.
  • A former top weapons inspector, David Kay, stated that there was no evidence of extensive links between Hussein and Al Qaeda.
  • Kay found that some Al Qaeda members had passed through Baghdad, but there was no conclusive evidence of a relationship between the two.
  • Cheney's comments echoed his January interview with National Public Radio, where he said there was overwhelming evidence of a connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government.
  • Secretary of State Colin Powell previously stated that he had not seen "smoking gun, concrete evidence" of a connection, but acknowledged that the possibility existed.
  • The debate over the Iraq-Al Qaeda relationship has been ongoing since the US-led invasion of Iraq.
  • A recent book, "The Connection: How Al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America," by Stephen Hayes has stirred the debate anew.
  • The book cites communications between Iraqi intelligence and Ansar Al Islam discussing possible financial support, as well as the discovery of a Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Hikmat Shakir on a roster of the Fedayeen Saddam paramilitary force.

Statistics:

  • 57 percent of Americans surveyed by the University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes believed Iraq was helping Al Qaeda before the war.
  • 20 percent of Americans believed Iraq was linked to the 9/11 attacks.
  • Thousands of terrorist attacks have taken place in Iraq since the US-led invasion.
  • Since the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime, debate over the Iraq-Al Qaeda relationship has not abated.

Sources:

  • Washington Post article, June 15, 2004.
  • CNN article, June 14, 2004.
  • The Boston Globe article, June 16, 2004.
  • University of Maryland's Program on International Policy Attitudes poll, April 2004.
  • National Public Radio interview with Dick Cheney, January 2004.
  • Secretary of State Colin Powell's speech to the United Nations, February 2003.
  • Book: "The Connection: How Al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America," by Stephen Hayes.