Rumsfeld: No Hard Evidence Of Link Between al Qaeda and Hussein

[jyl]

Partial transcript from Donald Rumsfeld's much-regretted speech on 10/4, before the Council on Foreign Relations:

"QUESTIONER: My name is Glenn Hutchins. Mr. Secretary, what exactly was the connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda?

RUMSFELD: I tell you, I'm not going to answer the question. I have seen the answer to that question migrate in the intelligence community over the period of a year in the most amazing way. Second, there are differences in the intelligence community as to what the relationship was. To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two. There are--I just read an intelligence report recently about one person who's connected to al Qaeda, who was in and out of Iraq, and there's the most tortured description of why he might have had a relationship, and why he might not have had a relationship. There are reports about people in Saddam Hussein's intelligence service meeting in one country or another with al Qaeda people from one person to another, which may have been indicative of something, or may not have been. It may have been something that was not representative of a hard linkage."

You can read the rest of the speech, which is actually quite interesting and thoughtful, at http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-rumsfeldspeech1006,0,5756045.story?coll=ny-worldnews-headlines

[Bill Douglas]

I think Mr. Bush owes Sadam and the suffering millions in Iraq something of an apology...

[Aurel]

Finstone ? Any comments ? This was God talking...

Aurel