Cheney Is Adamant on Iraq 'Evidence'
Vice president revives assertions on banned weaponry and links to Al Qaeda that other administration officials have backed away from.
By Greg Miller
Times Staff Writer
January 23, 2004
WASHINGTON — Vice President Dick Cheney revived two controversial assertions about the war in Iraq on Thursday, declaring there was "overwhelming evidence" that Saddam Hussein had a relationship with Al Qaeda and that two trailers discovered after the war were proof of Iraq's biological weapons programs.
The vice president stood by positions that others in the Bush administration have largely abandoned in recent months, as preliminary analysis of the trailers has been called into question and new evidence — including a document found with Hussein when he was captured — cast doubt on theories that Iraq and Al Qaeda collaborated.
Cheney's comments were seen as stoking the controversy over Iraq as the vice president was embarking on a trip to an economic summit in Switzerland and meetings with European officials, some of them fierce opponents of the war who have been dismissive of U.S. claims about the threat posed by Iraq.
Cheney has consistently espoused the most hawkish views among senior administration officials. His statements Thursday suggest he intends to maintain that tone as he takes a more high-profile role in President Bush's reelection campaign.
"There's overwhelming evidence there was a connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government," Cheney said in an interview on National Public Radio. "I am very confident that there was an established relationship there."
ROFL at the cartoon. Is Cheney living in the same reality as the rest of us?
Posted by Al-Muhajabah at January 23, 2004 08:19 PMI searched a long time to locate that cartoon. Fortunately, the Washington Post keeps like six months of his stuff online.
As for Cheney, he may believe what he's saying. Yes, I know I'm accusing him of being out of touch with reality. But consider, he's quite accustomed to bulling his way thru reality on his own terms and all the repercussion fall on other people. Having never looked at any impact of his activities other than the financial ones, and frankly having been pretty successful in his own terms, it's very possible he never actually looks at the affairs of the world anymore. It's possible he considers his model of the world to be all there is.
Posted by P6 at January 24, 2004 12:51 AMI think you are probably right about Cheney. The real question is when people are going to notice that Cheney is no longer in touch with reality.
Posted by Al-Muhajabah at January 24, 2004 03:22 PM