# 40% of Americans Belive that Iraq was responsible for 9-11??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 29, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090 "2003-03-29T22:24:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/1 "2003-03-29T22:24:21Z")
Recent polls demonstrate how incredibly ignorant much of the American people are regarding those responsible for the outrage we suffered on 9-11. Polls consistently indicate that between 40-50% of the American people believe that the majority of the 19 hijackers were Iraqi (the real answer is 0) and that Saddam Hussein is helping Al-Queda and Osama Bin Laden, even though Bin Laden has called Saddam an infidel. My question is this: Is anyone on this board willing to admit they are in this 40-50% of the American public, and if you are , could you please explain, using specific evidence, why you are convinced that Iraq and Saddam were involved with 9-11? I’ll hang up and listen for my answer.😉 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/2 "2003-03-29T22:32:41Z")
Which offers the perfect example of why the struggle against ignorance is so important. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/3 "2003-03-29T22:34:32Z")
I think that if you took a street poll in the UK you would get some strange results. Whenever I’m asked anything in a street poll I try to give the most unlikely answer, and the one that will mess with the heads of those carrying out the study. If someone asked me about 9-11 I would maybe blame Zionists, or perhaps say that it was a US government plot to justify invading Iraq. Serve 'em right for asking stupid questions, and fact is that the opinion of the average person is not going to change anything anyway, elections just change the colour of corruption. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/4 "2003-03-29T22:55:07Z")
I haven’t seen the polls and the questions they ask. I doubt anyone here believes the hijackers were Iraqis, I’ve not _met_ anyone IRL who thinks they were Iraqis. I’ve stated on this board (maybe once or twice) that I equate OBL and SH as equals who have a common “struggle” (??) which might give the impression that I think Iraq is responsible for 9/11. I don’t. But I don’t consider SH totally blameless either, and wouldn’t agree with the statement that “Iraq has nothing whatsoever to do with 9/11.” So it’s a balancing act. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/5 "2003-03-29T23:03:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tee \* > \*\*But I don’t consider SH totally blameless either, and wouldn’t agree with the statement that “Iraq has nothing whatsoever to do with 9/11.” So it’s a balancing act. \*\* And do you know of any facts that caused to you to reach that conclusion? Or are you admiting that your opinion here is groundless? ---
**Author:** ![Purplefloyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7cd45c/32.png) [@Purplefloyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purplefloyd)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/6 "2003-03-29T23:20:19Z")
Oh my god, Ive never heard of such a poll, but if those results are true then i gotta say im dumbfounded. Where would people come up with the idea that Iraquis were involved? Surely if it was true we would have heard Bush chanting it like a montra in his war speeches… Could someone provide a link to that poll?- not that im in doubt of its existence… ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/7 "2003-03-29T23:24:56Z")
Futile Gesture: Facts for what. “Saddam calls for the Arab brotherhood to rise up in arms against America and it’s Zionist oppressors” or something like that. Cites would be his own speeches. It’s a common goal, with common threats, so we probably should treat them alike…no? ---
**Author:** ![Conflict\_of\_Interest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/57b2e6/32.png) [@Conflict\_of\_Interest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Conflict_of_Interest)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/8 "2003-03-29T23:37:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Frostillicus \* > \*\*Recent polls demonstrate how incredibly ignorant much of the American people are regarding those responsible for the outrage we suffered on 9-11. Polls consistently indicate that between 40-50% of the American people believe that the majority of the 19 hijackers were Iraqi (the real answer is 0) and that Saddam Hussein is helping Al-Queda and Osama Bin Laden, even though Bin Laden has called Saddam an infidel. My question is this: Is anyone on this board willing to admit they are in this 40-50% of the American public, and if you are , could you please explain, using specific evidence, why you are convinced that Iraq and Saddam were involved with 9-11? I’ll hang up and listen for my answer.😉 \*\* I have never seen any Polls regarding this? Can you please post the source? ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/9 "2003-03-29T23:41:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tee \* > \*\*“Saddam calls for the Arab brotherhood to rise up in arms against America and it’s Zionist oppressors” or something like that. Cites would be his own speeches. It’s a common goal, with common threats, so we probably should treat them alike…no? \*\* And if you were the leader of a country that was being threatened by the U.S. what would you do or say? It just goes to show that when the White House wants to sell a bill of goods to the the American people, it can. I have talked to so many people that think that 9-11 was planned in Iraq by Iraqis. When I try to point out this has nothing to do with 9-11, I usually get a response like, “What are you, on _their_ side?” I suppose I should be happy it hasn’t progressed to being called an “arab lover”, but I suppose that is not far away. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/10 "2003-03-29T23:58:12Z")
My evil sister believes the Iraqis are bhind 9/11. When I pressed her, that changed to “The Iraqis trained them”. Then I started laughing and changed the subject. I have heard other people say things from which I infer they believe 9/11 is linked to Iraq, like, “We’ve got to stop these terrorists that Saddam is supporting.” ---
**Author:** ![sezyou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@sezyou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sezyou)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/11 "2003-03-30T00:01:28Z")
A lot of my hawk friends really just don’t want to hear that SH and OBL are seperate entities. They just want to kill somebody cause they are pissed about 9-11. Simply amazing and frightening. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/12 "2003-03-30T00:05:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boyo Jim \* > \*\*My evil sister believes the Iraqis are bhind 9/11. When I pressed her, that changed to “The Iraqis trained them”. \*\* Actually, we trained them, at least as far as flying an airplance into a building goes. ---
**Author:** ![litost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@litost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/litost)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/13 "2003-03-30T00:14:37Z")
[http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature3.cfm?REF=146](http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature3.cfm?REF=146) I used to be able to directly access the polls through Google but now all I get is references to these polls in articles. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/14 "2003-03-30T00:54:18Z")
[New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/14/politics/14POLL.html?ex=1045803600&en=90bfe0c802d050bb&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE)article, dated Feb 14, concerning a CBS/NYTimes poll: > [@](#): > > Still, while there is a high degree of awareness, substantial conflict and confusion exist among the public about Iraq and the antiterror campaign, so much so that 42 percent of those polled said they believed Saddam Hussein was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks. Neither the Bush administration nor any other authority has alleged such involvement. [KnightRidder poll](http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/4920860.htm), taken in January > [@](#): > > Nearly 1 in 4 respondents thinks the Bush administration has publicly released evidence tying Iraq to the planning and funding of the Sept. 11 attacks, and more than 1 in 3 respondents didn’t know or refused to answer. No such evidence has been released I’d like to recommend Spinsanity, a site which challenges both sides when errors of fact occur. See also: [Myths and Misconceptions about Iraq](http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20030320.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/15 "2003-03-30T01:10:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TV time \* > \*\*And if you were the leader of a country that was being threatened by the U.S. what would you do or say? > > It just goes to show that when the White House wants to sell a bill of goods to the the American people, it can.\*\* #1 - I’m fairly certain I would not start publicizing my persecution by religious zealots in the US of A, and encourage my citizens to blow themselves up on my behalf. “Diplomacy” would cross my mind. That pre-dates GWB anyway. #2 - When has the Bush administration said that Iraq was responsible for 9/11? More importantly, where did the idea come from that Iraq had never been considered a problem prior to the Bush administration? on preview I see that the NYT agrees that the view did not come from GWB and company. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/16 "2003-03-30T01:48:02Z")
“No one ever lost money underestimating the intelligence of the American (buying) public.” H.L. Menken ---
**Author:** ![AvidReader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@AvidReader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AvidReader)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/17 "2003-03-30T02:04:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Frostillicus \* > \*\*Recent polls demonstrate how incredibly ignorant much of the American people are regarding those responsible for the outrage we suffered on 9-11. \*\* Not surprising at all. It reminds me of Gore Vidal’s observation: “…the average American’s gullibility and intellect is directly related to his bruised knuckles…” an obvious reference to the long arms of an Orangutan Ape. ---
**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/18 "2003-03-30T02:11:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tee \* > \*\*Futile Gesture: Facts for what. > > “Saddam calls for the Arab brotherhood to rise up in arms against America and it’s Zionist oppressors” or something like that. Cites would be his own speeches. It’s a common goal, with common threats, so we probably should treat them alike…no? \*\* SH has always been a pan-Arabist, and OBL’s Islamic fanatacism often times gets mistaken for pan-Arabism. But the Hussein-variety of pan-Arabism is something out of the 1960’s and 70’s, supporting secular terrorist like Black September and deriving support from the Soviets. Since the rise of the Islamacists in the 80’s (thanks to the Iranian revolution and the success of the US-backed Mujahedeen in Afghanistan) those secular groups have almost disapeared, and the Al Qaeda type groups have taken over (the fall of the Soviet Union might have a part in this, but I wouldn’t call myself anything close to being an expert in the field). If anyone wants to point out evidence that SH has turned into a fanatical Islamacist, I’d be very interested in considering it in my opinion of the war, but as it is using the above comment just points out that he’s nothing more than a relic of an age gone by. Fidel Castro without the beard. Did/does he support terrorism? In the past he did at the very least give refuge to pan-Arabists, and currently the Iraqi government sends checks to the families of Palestinian “martyrs.” But to take that to the conclusion that he therefore has a hand in Osama’s racket is too much. I doubt that in the past 12 years that his hatred of the US has blinded himself to the threat that Islamicism faces to his own life. The US posed a more long-range threat, while Al Qaeda could have taken him out without any warning. The mantra of keeping “your friends close, but your enemies closer” just doesn’t make any sense here. ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/19 "2003-03-30T02:30:49Z")
> [@](#): > > _ **Tee** wrote:_ > #2 - When has the Bush administration said that Iraq was responsible for 9/11? As the NYT states, they didn’t. But **TV time** hit the nail on the head, and if you didn’t see it, you weren’t paying attention. They took a much more subtle approach. Starting 10/11/01, whenever Bush, Cheney, Powell, Rice, and others talked publicly about Iraq, they always said “terror” or “terrorism”. Or whenever they talked about terror, they would then talk about Iraq. Over time, through repetition, the concept that Iraq and “terror” become associated in people’s minds. It is an insidious form of blatant manipulation, obvious to those with a critical eye. Guilt through association. On the second question in #2, did someone claim that Iraq wasn’t a problem before this administration? [on preview]And to add to **Semp’s** post, be sure to consider the distinction between an Arab and a Muslim.[/op] ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090/20 "2003-03-30T02:47:21Z")
What caused me to post this thread was an article in today’s Chicago Tribune, which featured a group of Marines from NYC that were heading off to Iraq. Several of them were quoted as saying that they could not wait to get some payback for what happened on 9-11. They are obviously part of the 40% that is misinformed as to the cause of 9-11, which is really sad considering where they are being sent.☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/40-of-americans-belive-that-iraq-was-responsible-for-9-11/165090.md?page=2)