Yes, Bush did link Iraq and 9-11
Bush explicitly linked the 9-11 attacks and Saddam Hussein. More of my thoughts here.
I see the author of the IHT piece pointed out France was our first ally. We also fought our first undeclared war against France.
Sometimes he's a little odd, but Friedman is generally pretty level-headed. If Friedman writes that in an op-ed, it's a sign of serious trouble.