Bush - No 9-11/Iraq connection suggested

[radfringe]

"Nobody's ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks." -- Bush | August 21 Press Conference

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0425,schanberg,54517,6.html
June 22nd, 2004
Bush added, "The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and Al Qaeda because there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda."

-- September 14, 2003 Meet The Press http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3080244/

"We learn more and more that there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda that stretched back through most of the decade of the '90s," Cheney said, "that it involved training, for example, on , that Al Qaeda sent personnel to Baghdad to get trained on the systems."

"We know that many of the attackers were Saudi. There was also an Egyptian in the bunch. It doesn’t mean those governments had anything to do with that attack. That’s a different proposition than saying the Iraqi government and the Iraqi intelligent service has a relationship with al-Qaeda that developed throughout the decade of the ’90s. That was clearly official policy. "

"If we're successful in Iraq, if we can stand up a good representative government in Iraq, that secures the region so that it never again becomes a threat to its neighbors or to the United States, so it's not pursuing weapons of mass destruction, so that it's not a safe haven for terrorists, now we will have struck a major blow right at the heart of the base, if you will, the geographic base of the terrorists who have had us under assault now for many years, but most especially on 9-11."

The Nation: December 18, 2002 :http://www.thenation.com/doc/20030106/bergen

Directly after the 9/11 attacks, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, the chief architect of the Administration's get-tough policy on Iraq, told the cabinet, "There was a 10 to 50 per cent chance Saddam was involved ."

Six days after the attacks President Bush told his Cabinet, "I believe that Iraq was involved, but I'm not going to strike them now."

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said that there is "bullet-proof" evidence of links between the terrorist group and the Iraqi regime.

--------

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=37549

Cheney: "His regime has had high-level contacts with al Qaeda going back a decade and has provided training to al Qaeda terrorists." (Cheney Remarks, 12/2/02)

Cheney: "His regime aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorists for use against us." (Cheney Remarks, 1/30/03)

Cheney: "I think there's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between al-Qaeda and the Iraqi government." (National Public Radio, "Morning Edition," 1/22/04)

Cheney: "There's been enormous confusion over the Iraq and al-Qaeda connection, Gloria. First of all, on the question of--of whether or not there was any kind of a relationship, there was a relationship. It's been testified to. The evidence is overwhelming. It goes back to the early '90s...There's clearly been a relationship." (CNBC "Capital Report," 6/17/04)

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0425,schanberg,54517,6.html
June 22nd, 2004
Bush added, "The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and Al Qaeda because there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda."

[magellan]

1. They've lied so many times none of them can keep it straight (nt)

[Philosoraptor]

2. They suggested the fuck out of it.

I actually remember it, although millions seem to have not noticed.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

3. The #1 rule to being a good liar is keeping your lies straight.

Man, he even fucks that up.

[JHB]

6. Since when has he NEEDED to be a good liar?

Poppy's pals will cover for him, just like always.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

8. I just don't get how anybody can fall for his shit.

I hate it when I'm talking to what seems to be an intelligent person and then once the war comes into conversation, they start spouting off a new Shrub talking point for everyone I refute. Finally, they just end up with something like "ARGHGRAH! Saddam was bad. BLAHDHF!"

[screembloodymurder]

7. He can't answer the question w/o bringing up the old lies.

When he was called on it, he had to make up more lies.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

9. Any asshat who voted for this tool (and still supports him) needs to

be forced to watch clips of what Bush has done "Clockwork Orange"-style.

I just get so pissed off whenever the pResident speaks. I can't even stand it anymore.

[exlrrp]

14. Why he gets away with it

Having a bought off media in your pocket means you never have to say your'e sorry

[rosesaylavee]

4. Liars.

[fasttense]

5. They lie then lie about their lies.

Soon they will lie about lying about their lies and on and on.

[radfringe]

10. Tuesday toon - worth printing out

go here - http://radfringe.tripod.com/radicalfringecartoons/
click on the first cartoon (opens a new browser window) and print away

[ima_sinnic]

11. he DID still make the connection:

not to mention again, in the same specious ball of wax, Hussein "paying suiciders," his "relations with Zarqawi" (yeah, like his "relations with Osama bin Laden," right?), his "capacity to make WMDs," the IGNORAMUS "freedom agenda," and "threats" that were NEVER MADE.

. . . imagine a world in which you had Saddam Hussein who had the capacity to make a weapon of mass destruction, who was paying suiciders to kill innocent life, who would -- who had relations with Zarqawi. Imagine what the world would be like with him in power. The idea is to try to help change the Middle East.

Now, look, part of the reason we went into Iraq was -- the main reason we went into Iraq at the time was we thought he had weapons of mass destruction. It turns out he didn't, but he had the capacity to make weapons of mass destruction. But I also talked about the human suffering in Iraq, and I also talked the need to advance a freedom agenda. And so my question -- my answer to your question is, is that, imagine a world in which Saddam Hussein was there, stirring up even more trouble in a part of the world that had so much resentment and so much hatred that people came and killed 3,000 of our citizens.

You know, I've heard this theory about everything was just fine until we arrived, and kind of "we're going to stir up the hornet's nest" theory. It just doesn't hold water, as far as I'm concerned. The terrorists attacked us and killed 3,000 of our citizens before we started the freedom agenda in the Middle East.

Q What did Iraq have to do with that?

THE PRESIDENT: What did Iraq have to do with what?

Q The attack on the World Trade Center?

THE PRESIDENT: Nothing, except for it's part of -- and nobody has ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. Iraq was a -- the lesson of September the 11th is, take threats before they fully materialize, Ken. Nobody has ever suggested that the attacks of September the 11th were ordered by Iraq. I have suggested, however, that resentment and the lack of hope create the breeding grounds for terrorists who are willing to use suiciders to kill to achieve an objective. I have made that case.

And one way to defeat that -- defeat resentment is with hope. And the best way to do hope is through a form of government. Now, I said going into Iraq that we've got to take these threats seriously before they fully materialize. . . .

[The Count]

16. Back at Harvard, his teacher reminisces:

Bush, he recalled, "made this ridiculous statement and when I asked him to explain, he said, 'The government doesn't have to help poor people -- because they are lazy.' I said, 'Well, could you explain that assumption?' Not only could he not explain it, he started backtracking on it, saying, 'No, I didn't say that.'"
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/09/16/tsurumi/index_np.html?pn=1
least we blame his personal faults too much on his strategists....

[yorkiemommie1]

17. the whole article is excellent & worth widespread reading

this prof spotted his character flaws way back when,as i'm sure others have but have not come forward.

his meanness, vindictiveness, and shallowness of character are part and parcel of his very DNA.

i quote this article as often as i can.

[bullimiami]

12. extreme parsing of language

"Nobody's ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks." -- Bush | August 21 Press Conference


this is true. they never suggested that 'saddam hussein' 'ordered' the attacks.

and noone ever said they did.

of course they said all that other stuff that people have noted but they dont answer for that. its all very clever and very devious.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. He only linked the two

every chance he had by speaking of one and then in the next sentence the other.

[Triana]

15. ...and now they're LYING about LYING!

Lies piled atop of lies. Jeeeze.

[ComerPerro]

18. He is telling the truth. What's the big deal. No one ever

suggested or implied a connection between Iraq and 9/11.


They weren't nearly that subtle.

They flat-out said it, plain and clear as day.