# Sadam had strong Al-Queda ties **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 15, 2004, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486 "2004-06-15T15:52:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/81 "2004-06-17T06:56:00Z")
He’s going to punt a Reagan. He’ll stand there and say that he is still sure in his heart that there is a connection between Al Queda and Iraq, but all the evidence points otherwise, and therefore a mistake was made (passive voice deliberate). He will sorrowfully admit that he was misled, but won’t name by whom, leaving the implication that his only fault was in being too trusting. Quietly, it will leak out that he means Tenet, but in a noble display of loyalty, he will publicly deny that. He will then announce that that settles that, and its time to move on. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/82 "2004-06-17T07:06:59Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > He’s going to punt a Reagan. He’ll stand there and say that he is still sure in his heart that there is a connection between Al Queda and Iraq, but all the evidence points otherwise, and therefore a mistake was made (passive voice deliberate). He will sorrowfully admit that he was misled, but won’t name by whom, leaving the implication that his only fault was in being too trusting. Quietly, it will leak out that he means Tenet, but in a noble display of loyalty, he will publicly deny that. > > He will then announce that that settles that, and its time to move on. Yes, the passive voice detachment with an air of somberness and regret expressed as though one were talking about a completly different person other than oneself. Just think of what Bill Clinton could have done with this technique: “Mistakes were made and a president was blown. It is my understanding that a dress was jizzed upon. These things are regrettable but I will work to see that any such incidents are prevented in the future.” We would have bought it and moved on. At least **I** would have bought it. ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/83 "2004-06-17T07:17:38Z")
**Diogenes** , I like that phrase so much that I plan to steal it and pretend I thought of it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/84 "2004-06-17T10:15:32Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > Man, new Rummy bullshit. We’re no better then the hostage takers. > > [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5226957/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5226957/) We really need a T-shirt with the caption “A Few Bad Apples” underneath a pic of Bush, Rummy, and Ashcroft. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/85 "2004-06-17T11:25:08Z")
> [@SimonX](#): > > I’ve been waiting for the Press Secretary to make th etranscript available @ [www.whitehouse.gov](http://www.whitehouse.gov) . I assume that Dr, Josh wouldn’t run with it if it weren’t credible: > > **[[www.talkingpointsmemo.com/+"Saddam+Hussein+had+long-established+ties+with+al+Qaeda"+associate&hl=en](http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/+%22Saddam+Hussein+had+long-established+ties+with+al+Qaeda%22+associate&hl=en)]June]([http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:v6\_JqaccKisJ:](http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:v6_JqaccKisJ:)[url) 15, 2004 Press Gaggle** > > **Q** Can I ask about Vice President Cheney, because yesterday he repeated what is a very controversial claim. He said that Saddam Hussein had long-established ties with al Qaeda. Does the President believe that Saddam Hussein had long-established ties with al Qaeda? > > **MR. McCLELLAN** : We certainly talked about the ties with terrorism between the – between the regime that was removed from power, and we talked about those ties prior to the decision to remove that regime from power. So that was well-documented. Secretary Powell went before the United Nations and talked about some of those ties to terrorism, as well. And Zarqawi is certainly a senior al Qaeda associate who was in Iraq prior to the decision to go in and remove the regime from power. > > **Q** There’s also al Qaeda in the United States. That does not mean the United States is cooperating with those members of al Qaeda. Just by the presence of someone does not mean there’s a cooperation. > > **MR. McCLELLAN** : But, remember, we’re talking about an oppressive regime that was in power in Iraq that exercised control over that country. And go back and look at what we documented, Norah. We documented all this, and I think that’s what the Vice President was referring to. > > **Q** So today you’re saying the President does agree there were long – > > **MR. McCLELLAN** : We stand by what we’ve said previously, in terms of the regime’s ties to terrorism, yes. And I think that’s what the Vice President was referring to. > > **Q** The President said there were no ties in the run up to the war. > > **MR. McCLELLAN** : No, Helen, that’s a mischaracterization. There were clear ties to terrorism between the regime – > > **Q** He said there were no ties with al Qaeda. > > **MR. McCLELLAN** : – certainly supporting suicide bombers in the Middle East. > > **Q** Are you repudiating what the President said? > > **MR. McCLELLAN** : No, I think you’re talking about September 11th. Sweet Jesus, my eyeballs just exploded! I will reiterate that only a COMPLETELY BLIND FOOL would vote for these assholes in 2004. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/86 "2004-06-17T16:53:01Z")
Prepare for more ocular detonation, **World Eater** [Bush claims the 9/11 commission is wrong!](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48970-2004Jun17.html) > [@President George W. "Big Lie" Bush](#): > > “The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al Qaeda [is] because there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda,” Bush told reporters after a Cabinet meeting at the White House. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/87 "2004-06-17T18:02:46Z")
I love this first part: > [@](#): > > We certainly talked about the ties with terrorism between the – between the regime that was removed from power, and we talked about those ties prior to the decision to remove that regime from power. “The regime that was removed from power . . .” That bit of obfuscation is nice, because now the “ties” can be between anyone with any connection to the “regime” and anyone else with a connection to “terrorism”. They are moving the ball away from the “Saddam” link to “Al Qaeda”. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/88 "2004-06-17T18:27:12Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > Prepare for more ocular detonation, **World Eater** > > [Bush claims the 9/11 commission is wrong!](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48970-2004Jun17.html) We do I have the feeling that on election night 2004, I’ll be dropping to my knees, looking up at the sky and uttering the slowest motionest, longest, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo… in the history of our universe? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/89 "2004-06-17T18:34:14Z")
This just in… [http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&e=11&u=/latimests/20040617/ts\_latimes/spyworkiniraqriddledbyfailures](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&e=11&u=/latimests/20040617/ts_latimes/spyworkiniraqriddledbyfailures) “A pair of British-recruited spies in Iraq whose alarming reports of Saddam Hussein’s illicit weapons were rushed to the White House shortly before the U.S.-led invasion last year, were never interviewed by the CIA and are now viewed as unreliable, current and former U.S. intelligence officials say…” Here’s the punch line… “…U.S. analysts also erred in their analysis of high-altitude satellite photos, repeatedly confusing Scud missile storage places with the short, half-cylindrical sheds typically used to house poultry in Iraq. As a result, as the war neared, two teams of U.N. weapons experts acting on U.S. intelligence scrambled to search chicken coops for missiles that were not there. “We inspected a lot of chicken farms,” said a former inspector who asked not to be identified because he now works with U.S. intelligence. His U.N. team printed “Ballistic Chicken Farm Inspection Team” on 20 gray T-shirts to mark the futile hunt…” This stuff would be hilarious, if it weren’t for all the corpses. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486/90 "2004-06-17T21:33:09Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > Prepare for more ocular detonation, **World Eater** > > [Bush claims the 9/11 commission is wrong!](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48970-2004Jun17.html) “The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al Qaeda [is] because there was a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda,” Bush told reporters after a Cabinet meeting at the White House." Everything has a relationship with everything else. The US has a relationship with al Qaeda. I’d say that the quote you provided is easily interpretted as a ‘negative pregnant,’ also known as a ‘not-lie.’ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sadam-had-strong-al-queda-ties/250486.md?page=4)