The Middle East

The Bush administration's continued assertion that Saddam Hussein had long established ties with al Qaeda exposes the administration's inability to comprehend reality and focus on real al Qaeda threats in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In so doing, they not only misled the country; they failed in their responsibility to do everything in their power to protect the American people. There was no connection between al Qaeda and Iraq. The bipartisan 9/11 Commission reported yesterday that, "We have no credible evidence that Iraq and al Qaeda cooperated on the attacks against the United States." David Kay, the Bush administration's weapons inspector in Iraq earlier concluded, "[W]e simply did not find any evidence of extensive links with al Qaeda, or for that matter any real links at all," and called a speech where Cheney made the claim, "evidence free." The supposed meeting between Osama bin Laden associate Mohammed Atta and an Iraqi intelligence officer in Praque – one of the administration's key bits of evidence – never occurred. The FBI now believes Atta was in the United States at the time. While President Bush chased phantom al Qaeda ties in Iraq, the real al Qaeda was regrouping in Afghanistan. Video evidence of new al Qaeda training camps emerged yesterday. If confirmed, this evidence proves what critics of the Iraq war suspected all along: the shift to war in Iraq was a monumental strategic error that allowed al Qaeda to regain strength and prepare for more attacks against America and its allies. The administration's continued insistence on a link between al Qaeda and Iraq is dishonest and breaks faith with the solemn obligation to protect the American people. Bush administration officials must stop asserting that Iraq and al Qaeda were connected; apologize for misleading the public on one of its core rationales for war in Iraq; and prove to Americans that it has learned from these mistakes and understands where the real al Qaeda threats are located. Daily Talking Points is a product of the Center for American Progress, a non-partisan research and educational institute committed to progressive principles for a strong, just and free America.