Senate Report: Bush Wrong on Saddam Hussein, Bin Laden Ties

Bush has admitted there is nothing to suggest that Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda worked together on 9-11. So its no surprise that the Senate would conclude that Saddam Hussein did not trust Bin Laden:

"'Saddam Hussein was distrustful of al-Qaeda and viewed Islamic extremists as a threat to his regime,' one of the reports said. Hussein refused all requests from al-Qaeda to provide material or operational support, said the reports."

Since Saddam did not trust Bin Laden he certainly wasn't going to give him WMDs:
"Allegations that Hussein provided chemical and biological weapons training to al-Qaeda operatives also turned out to be false, the reports said. The Defense Intelligence Agency said in 2002 that it was unlikely Iraq gave Bin Laden any useful weapons assistance."

He even tried to capture Bin Laden's man in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi:

"While Bin Laden's al-Qaeda lieutenant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was in Iraq in 2002, he was traveling under cover and eluded efforts by Hussein to capture him, the reports said."

Bottomline:

"Democrats said the reports show that statements by Bush administration officials before the Iraq war began in 2003 weren't supported by intelligence known at the time they spoke....seven of eight Republicans on the panel, including Chairman Pat Roberts, voted to approve the conclusions about pre-war intelligence."

The report might put a serious crimp in Bush's effort to justify the Iraq sham by equating terrorism with the war:

"Less than three weeks ago Mr Bush said in a speech that 'Saddam Hussein...had relations with Zarqawi'."

Here is Bush's strained response to Charles Gibson's recent question on the link between Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden:

"...I understand that people ask, 'How can this be a connection, between the war on terror and,' you know, 'How can Iraq be a connection when Saddam Hussein didn't order the attacks?' And you know, I understand that concern, because he didn't order the attacks. The enemy, however, believes that Iraq is a part of the war on terror. Osama bin Laden has called Iraq central to the war on terror. And if we lose, if this young democracy fails, the enemy will be emboldened. They will have resources in which to launch attacks. They have declared their desire to have a caliphate throughout the Middle East, and one of their targets is to topple modern governments."

Wrong - Mr. Bushie. On the Contrary, the Iraq War is a breading ground for terrorism. So says your own State Department:

"The US state department acknowledged yesterday that there is a risk of Iraq becoming a safe haven for terrorists three years after the invasion of the country.

The warning is contained in the state department's annual country reports on terrorism. The report, which suggests an increase in terrorist attacks worldwide, appears to undermine repeated claims by President George Bush that the US is winning the 'war on terrorism'."

Related Links:
Read for the full Senate report
US hands over Iraq army control