# Excuse me Mr Bush..your admin never connected Iraq with 9/11?? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 18, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114 "2004-06-18T20:56:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/1 "2004-06-18T20:56:59Z")
God Damned Liar. Just who did we invade right after this? > [@](#): > > (2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001. [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-1.html](http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030319-1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/2 "2004-06-18T21:03:47Z")
Ah, but you see when they say ‘including’ they don’t mean to imply that Iraq is one of those countries included. Iraq just fits the bit up to the including line. Honest. Hail Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/3 "2004-06-18T21:17:02Z")
If you see Rumsfeld use that argument in the near future tell the fucker I own copyright. ---
**Author:** ![AZCowboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/97f17d/32.png) [@AZCowboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AZCowboy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/4 "2004-06-18T23:55:52Z")
Oh, if you liked that, then you’ll LOVE this… > [@](#): > > In publishing a report that cited no evidence of a collaborative relationship between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda, the Sept. 11 commission actually meant to say that Iraq had no control over the network, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said on Friday. > … > “What I believe the 9-11 commission was opining on was operational control, an operational relationship between al Qaeda and Iraq which we never alleged,” Rice said in an interview with National Public Radio. > > “The president simply outlined what we knew about what al Qaeda and Iraq had done together. Operational control to me would mean that he (Saddam) was, perhaps, directing what al Qaeda would do.” > … > "We don’t think there was any relationship whatsoever having to do with 9/11… " Commission Chairman Thomas Kean said. [Cite](http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5460863) Fucking Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/5 "2004-06-19T08:08:36Z")
The mendacity shown by this administration almost passes belief. I read that rationale by Rice and immediately thought how close Orwell had pegged things. Somewhere, he is probably smiling from ear-to-ear while saying “Told ya so, told ya so.” It passes my comprehension as to how anyone can conceivably think Bush is a good president. Vote these bastards out. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/6 "2004-06-19T10:13:34Z")
The commission found that there were no operational collaborative links, but that there were connections. > [@](#): > > All we can do is state as clearly as we can what the evidence is that we have found. We have found no operational collaboration between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden with regard to attacks on the United States. That conclusion is a very firm one that we have reached. > > What the governor [9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean] referred to is also true. There are all kinds of ties. There are all kinds of connections. And it may very well have been that Osama bin Laden or some of his lieutenants met at some time with Saddam Hussein lieutenants. > > They had contacts, but what we did not find was any operational tie with respect to attacks on the United States. — Lee Hamiltion, 9/11 Commission Vice-chairman ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/7 "2004-06-19T10:44:41Z")
Citizens of the United States… the future of the world is in your hands. I’ll be watching the elections from underneath a table on this side of the Atlantic, and if Bush wins I’m flagging down the next Vogon spaceship. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/8 "2004-06-19T11:02:55Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Citizens of the United States… the future of the world is in your hands. I’ll be watching the elections from underneath a table on this side of the Atlantic, and if Bush wins I’m flagging down the next Vogon spaceship. Save a spot for me. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/9 "2004-06-19T13:25:00Z")
Anyone know where I can get a battery for my Electronic Thumb? (Seriously[?], I’m thinking very fond thoughts of my grandfather these days. I hardly remember him, but he had the good taste to be born in Ireland—meaning I can claim Irish citizenship through him. I love this country desperately, but I’ve been feeling this need for an escape hatch.) ---
**Author:** ![mighty\_maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@mighty\_maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mighty_maxx)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/10 "2004-06-19T14:21:49Z")
I’m not sure what the big deal about this is. I thought we always knew saddam had nothing really to do with 9/11. Links to terrorists and links to the direct attack on the United States on September 11th, are being clearly seperated for partisan spin (both sides). All intelligence reports from nearly every country in the world was pointing out that Saddam, was in a symbiotic relationship with terrorists (Al Queda or whoever, [AP article of one example](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,123051,00.html) ). The whole 9/11 commission is a joke, and a political fight. Frankly I’m sick of the politics. The next election I believe I’ll write in my neighbor Jim who seems to have good grasp of worldly events, or at least those pertaining to his yard. ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/11 "2004-06-19T15:23:32Z")
> [@](#): > > I thought we always knew saddam had nothing really to do with 9/11. Well done. Unfortunately, a large proportion of your countrymen have consistently shown in polls that they believe [Saddam was personally involved](http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-09-06-poll-iraq_x.htm) . This has been deliberately provoked by constant attempts by your ‘President’ and his cronies to link the two, which continue even now. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/12 "2004-06-19T16:04:32Z")
Its just the teensiest bit more subtle than that. The Bushiviks already know that many people connect Saddam with 9/11, and they have already clearly stated that no evidence for such exists. Once. Not real loud, not repeatedly, but they _did_ say it. But they are left with a bit of a conundrum: they have fervently declared that the war with Iraq was somehow central to the WoT. Previously, they could just baldly state this and get away with it, the press was entirely supine and the public at large didn’t question such an assertion. But now they are being pressed. In what way, exactly, is the Iraq War relevent to the War on Terr? The best they can come up with is this Bushwah about “connections”. My mother’s hairdresser’s sister-in-law was once married to a guy who robbed a bank, hence, I have a connection to bank robbery. Really, its like that silly game about how many steps to connect person A with Kevin Bacon. Their loyal base will defend them so long as they have a shred of plausibility to cling to, and that is what they seek to provide. They’re not trying to convince me or anyone else with the good sense that God gave a goose. They’re not even trying to present a “case”, just the merest straw to grasp at. Tough luck for them, because the plausibility of that shred depends on thier own plausibility, they are feeding thier chickens with eggs. You can only believe them if you _already_ believe them, no one is going to have thier doubts expunged, this only provides true believers with something to cling to. They’re hoping that, come November, that will be enough. And they may very well be right. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/13 "2004-06-19T16:15:53Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > The commission found that there were no operational collaborative links, but that there were connections. Connections? One’s lieutenants might have met the other’s lieutenants and done lunch? If we want to play a game of “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” with Bin Laden, Bush beats both Saddam and Kevin Bacon. Saddam probably has a shorter connection to Bin Laden THROUGH Bush than any other path. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/14 "2004-06-19T17:01:44Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > God Damned Liar. Just who did we invade right after this? Ummmm, ‘What is Afghanistan?’ for $200. Alex. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/15 "2004-06-19T17:15:23Z")
> [@FriarTed](#): > > Ummmm, ‘What is Afghanistan?’ for $200. Alex. You didn’t read the date of the letter did you? > [@](#): > > Presidential Letter > Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate > > **March 18, 2003** The war against Afghanistan began 7 oct 2001. Idiot. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/16 "2004-06-19T17:24:39Z")
> [@Avenger](#): > > This has been deliberately provoked by constant attempts by your ‘President’ and his cronies to link the two, which continue even now. Are you including the 9/11 commission in that? ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/17 "2004-06-19T17:33:46Z")
Reeder, I didn’t check the link & didn’t realize at the time what the cite was from- I just thought the Q was who did we invade after 9-11. Then I read another news story that included the cite, hastened back to correct myself, hoping that you wouldn’t beat me to it, and alas, you did. I bow to you on this one _S_ ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/18 "2004-06-19T18:01:16Z")
> [@mighty\_maxx](#): > > All intelligence reports from nearly every country in the world was pointing out that Saddam, was in a symbiotic relationship with terrorists (Al Queda or whoever, [AP article of one example](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,123051,00.html) ). Absolutely wrong. All intelligence reports from every country in the world showed that from around 1993 onward, Hussein was pulling in his horns and lying low, basically turning Iraq into a home for sick and retired former terrorists. He did a bit of PR spotting when he provided funds to the families of a few Palestinian suicide bombers on a couple of occasions, but he had no active participation in world terrorism. The Putin remark to which you linked is being discussed in **GD**. Interestingly, Bush never alluded to this alleged information when he was trying to get the UN to sign on for his invasion of Iraq. No one in the adminstration ever trotted out this “evidence” of Hussein conspiracies even after we had occupied Iraq. And, as of yesterday, the State Department could not find any evidence of this alleged information. On the other hand, Putin has already begun making overt statments to support the re-election of President Bush, so this vague statement seems to have more in common with mere propagande than with any actual facts. ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/19 "2004-06-19T19:14:39Z")
> [@furt](#): > > Are you including the 9/11 commission in that? 😕 Lost me mate. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114/20 "2004-06-20T05:35:57Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Really, its like that silly game about how many steps to connect person A with Kevin Bacon. Saddam Hussein has a Bacon number of [3](http://oracleofbacon.org/cgi-bin/oracle/movielinks?firstname=Bacon%2C+Kevin&game=1&secondname=saddam+hussein). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excuse-me-mr-bush-your-admin-never-connected-iraq-with-9-11/251114.md?page=2)