<There is already considerable skepticism among US intelligence officials about Mr Bush's claims of links between Iraq and al-Qaida.

An earlier opinion of Vincent Cannistraro after the U.S.S. Cole bombing:

His comments came as a former CIA counter-terrorism chief, Vincent Cannistraro, suggested that the Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden could have planned the attack with help from Iraq.



Mr bin Laden issued his first statement for two years on Tuesday, vowing to continue his battle against "the enemies of Islam".

...The president said samples of explosives taken from the destroyer had been identified by US investigators as of a type available only in Israel, the USA, and two Arab countries, which he declined to name.

...Mr Cannistraro, an expert on Middle Eastern terrorism, said the attack bore the hallmarks of Mr bin Laden's group.

He said the sophistication of the device, placed in a metal container to concentrate the blast on the Cole's armoured hull, pointed to the involvement of a state.

"The Iraqis have wanted to carry out terrorism for some time now," he said, adding that the Iraqi military had been in contact with Mr bin Laden, and could have helped with training.



But then, what does he know? Okay, maybe he changed his mind. Or maybe his opinions drift with the political winds.

David Albright, a physicist and former UN weapons inspector who was consulted on the purpose of the aluminum tubes, said it was far from clear that the tubes were intended for a uranium centrifuge.

Maybe, maybe not. But given Saddam's proven record of constantly seeking nuclear capability, and other current activities including seeking fissionables in South Africa, how can anyone possibly arrive at the conclusion that he does NOT have a nuclear weapons program?

US military experts confirmed that Iraq had been converting eastern European trainer jets, known as L-29s, into drones, but said that with a maximum range of a few hundred miles they were no threat to targets in the US.



"It doesn't make any sense to me if he meant United States territory," said Stephen Baker, a retired US navy rear admiral who assesses Iraqi military capabilities at the Washington-based Center for Defense Information.



I guess if Saddam dropped chemical or biological weapons on Israel or Kuwait, that would just be a big yawn to the Left in this country, but others might consider it an issue.

...Mr Cannistraro said the flow of intelligence to the top levels of the administration had been deliberately skewed by hawks at the Pentagon.



"CIA assessments are being put aside by the Defense department in favor of intelligence they are getting from various Iraqi exiles," he said. "Machiavelli warned princes against listening to exiles. Well, that is what is happening now."



I guess Alexander Solzhenitsyn was full of shit too, then.

I think the question we have to start asking ourselves is: why are so many people defending Saddam Hussein?