Clark spins 2002 statement linking al-Qaida, Iraq

Manchester Union Leader ^ | January 13, 2004 | Holly Ramer/AP

[billorites]

LONDONDERRY (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark said Monday a statement he made in 2002 about connections between Iraq and al-Qaida was consistent with his belief that Saddam Hussein was not linked to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In an October 2002 news conference in which he endorsed a New Hampshire Democrat for Congress, Clark said, "Certainly there's a connection between Iraq and al-Qaida."

According to a videotape provided by a rival campaign, Clark continued: "It doesn't surprise me at all that they would be talking to al-Qaida, that there would be some al-Qaida there or that Saddam Hussein might even be, you know, discussing, 'Gee, I wonder since I don't have any scuds and since the Americans are coming at me, I wonder if I could take advantage of al-Qaida? How would I do it? Is it worth the risk? What could they do for me?'"

Campaigning in New Hampshire, Clark said Monday the two-year-old statement is not inconsistent with views he expressed in a book and during his presidential bid.

"It would be naive to think the Iraqi intelligence agency never tracked anyone from al-Qaida, but that's a far cry from saying there's any relationship between Saddam Hussein and 9/11," he said. "I've always said there's no relationship. I was doing nothing but explaining a New York Times front-page story of that day and discounting it."

On the day of Clark's 2002 news conference, the Times reported the CIA's claim that it had credible reports that al-Qaida leaders had sought contacts in Iraq who could help them acquire weapons of mass destruction.

Asked Monday if he thinks low-level contacts still exist between al-Qaida and Iraq, Clark said he has no idea.

"My point has been simply this: There wasn't any likelihood that Saddam Hussein was connected to 9/11," he said. "It would not surprise me if the Iraqi intelligence agency had sometime met with someone from al-Qaida in Beirut, Lebanon, or somewhere else, just to find out who they were or what they were doing."

[Always Right]

Spin all you want Wesley, but this is a war on terrorism, not a war against those responsible for 911....You just don't get it.

[Always Right]

In an October 2002 news conference in which he endorsed a New Hampshire Democrat for Congress, Clark said, "Certainly there's a connection between Iraq and al-Qaida."

So being in bed with terrorists is OK with Wesley...

[yoe]

(article)

The "they-can't-find-weapons-of-mass-destruction-in-Iraq-thus-invalidating-the-legitimacy-behind-the-U.S.-led-invasion" chorus grows louder and louder. Presidential contender Howard Dean (D), the former governor of Vermont, says, "I think the president owes this country an explanation because what the president said was not entirely truthful, and he needs to explain why that was ... We need a thorough look at what really happened going into Iraq. It appears to me that what the president did was make a decision to go into Iraq sometime in early 2002, or maybe even late 2001, and then try to get the justification afterward."

All these nay-sayers with little knowledge are truly pitiful and they are desperate as they sink further into the political quick sand of their own making.

Leaders??? Not a single one of them.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

"Certainly there's a connection between Iraq and al-Qaida."

"I've always said there's no relationship."

Lemme see if I have this right, Wes--there's a connection but not a relationship? You've been hanging around the Clintons too long, pal. Here is the dictionary definition of connection.

1. The act of connecting.
2. The state of being connected.
3. One that connects; a link: made a connection between the two pipes.
4.An association or relationship: There appeared to be no connection between the two crimes.

Your next assignment, General, will be to explain what the meaning of is is.