I. The Bush administration's position

Secretary of State Colin Powell asserted before the U.N. Security Council on February 5, 2006, that there were close ties between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government. Indeed, this was the position of the entire Bush Administration. However, this position ran counter to that of many intelligence officials in the U.S., Britain, and other countries. Moreover, the Bush Administration held the opposite view in the autumn of 2002 and even six weeks before the war started.

A. The Bush administration's former stance

As the Washington Post reported on September 11, 2002, “the Bush administration has for now dropped what had been a central argument used by supporters of military action against Baghdad: Iraq's links to al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.” [1] On September 10, 2002, President Bush met with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and stated that the U.S. at that time was not exploring a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. [2] However, Bush would soon do a 180° turn.

B. The 180° turn

That 180° turn began weeks later, as in speech after speech Bush talked about Iraq and Al Qaeda. A list of some of those statements appears below.

• September 25, 2002 press conference

Q: Mr. President, do you believe that Saddam Hussein is a bigger threat to the United States than al Qaeda?

PRESIDENT BUSH: That's a -- that is an interesting question. I'm trying to think of something humorous to say. (Laughter.) But I can't when I think about al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. They're both risks, they're both dangerous. The difference, of course, is that al Qaeda likes to hijack governments. Saddam Hussein is a dictator of a government. Al Qaeda hides, Saddam doesn't, but the danger is, is that they work in concert. The danger is, is that al Qaeda becomes an extension of Saddam's madness and his hatred and his capacity to extend weapons of mass destruction around the world.

Both of them need to be dealt with. The war on terror, you can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the war on terror. And so it's a comparison that is -- I can't make because I can't distinguish between the two, because they're both equally as bad, and equally as evil, and equally as destructive. [3]

• October 7, 2002 speech in Cinncinnati

We know that Iraq and the al Qaeda terrorist network share a common enemy -- the United States of America. We know that Iraq and al Qaeda have had high-level contacts that go back a decade. Some al Qaeda leaders who fled Afghanistan went to Iraq. These include one very senior al Qaeda leader who received medical treatment in Baghdad this year, and who has been associated with planning for chemical and biological attacks. We've learned that Iraq has trained al Qaeda members in bomb-making and poisons and deadly gases. And we know that after September the 11th, Saddam Hussein's regime gleefully celebrated the terrorist attacks on America. [4]

• October 14, 2002 speech in Waterford, Michigan

September the 11th changed the equation, changed our thinking. It also changed our thinking when we began to realize that one of the most dangerous things that can happen in the modern era is for a deceiving dictator who has gassed his own people, who has weapons of mass destruction to team up with an organization like al Qaeda.

As I said -- I was a little more diplomatic in my speech, but we need to -- we need to think about Saddam Hussein using al Qaeda to do his dirty work, to not leave fingerprints behind. [5]

• October 28, 2002 speech in Alamogordo, New Mexico

And there is a real threat in my judgment, a real and dangerous threat to America in Iraq, in the form of Saddam Hussein.

*******

This is a person who has had contacts with al Qaeda. [6]

• October 28, 2002 speech in Denver

He's a threat to America and he's a threat to our friends. He's even more of a threat now that we've learned that he's anxious to have, once again to develop a nuclear weapon. He's got connections with al Qaeda. [7]

• November 1, 2002 speech at Portsmouth, New Hampshire

We know [Saddam]'s got ties with al Qaeda. A nightmare scenario, of course, is that he becomes the arsenal for a terrorist network, where they could attack America and he'd leave no fingerprints behind. He is a problem. [8]

• November 2, 2202 speech in Tampa, Florida

We know that [Saddam]'s had connections with al Qaeda. There would be nothing more pleasing to him to be able to use one of these shadowy terrorist networks. He could serve as the armory and the training grounds. They could be the deliverer of weapons, and we would never see his fingerprints. [9]

• November 3, 2002 speech in Springfield, Illinois

Saddam Hussein is a threat to America. He's a threat to our friends. He's a man who said he wouldn't have weapons of mass destruction, yet he has them. He's a man that not only has weapons of mass destruction, he's used them. He's used them in his neighborhood; he's used them on his own people. He can't stand America, he can't stand our friends and allies. (Audience interruption.) He is a man who would likely--he is a man who would likely team up with al Qaeda. He could provide the arsenal for one of these shadowy terrorist networks. He would love to use somebody else to attack us, and not leave fingerprints behind. [10]

• November 3, 2002 speech in St. Paul

This is a man who has had contacts with al Qaeda. This is a man who poses a serious threat in many forms, but catch this form: He's the kind of guy that would love nothing more than to train terrorists and provide arms to terrorists so they could attack his worst enemy and leave no fingerprints. This guy is a threat to the world. [11]

• November 4, 2002 speech in Dallas

This is a man who has got connections with al Qaeda. Imagine a terrorist network with Iraq as an arsenal and as a training ground, so that a Saddam Hussein could use his shadowy group of people to attack his enemy and leave no fingerprint behind. He's a threat. [12]

• January 28, 2003 State of the Union Address

With nuclear arms or a full arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, Saddam Hussein could resume his ambitions of conquest in the Middle East, and create deadly havoc in the region. And this Congress and the American people must recognize another threat. Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody, reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al-Qaida. Secretly, and without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help them develop their own. [13]

Before September 11, 2001, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents and lethal viruses and shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained. Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons, and other plans – this time armed by Saddam Hussein.

So in two weeks Bush went from saying that the U.S. was not exploring the possibility of a link between Al Qaeda and Iraq to saying the two were linked. Even so, on January 31, 2003–three days after the State of the Union Address–Bush changed his stance slightly. On that day, Bush held a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Pay close attention to the following excerpt from that press conference (especially the emphasized portions):

Q: Thank you, sir. Mr. President, is Secretary Powell going to provide the undeniable proof of Iraq's guilt that so many critics are calling for?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, all due in modesty, I thought I did a pretty good job myself of making it clear that he's not disarming and why he should disarm. Secretary Powell will make a strong case about the danger of an armed Saddam Hussein. He will make it clear that Saddam Hussein is fooling the world, or trying to fool the world. He will make it clear that Saddam is a menace to peace in his own neighborhood. He will also talk about al Qaeda links, links that really do portend a danger for America and for Great Britain, anybody else who loves freedom.

As the Prime Minister says, the war on terror is not confined to just a shadowy terrorist network. The war on terror includes people who are willing to train and to equip organizations such as al Qaeda.

See, the strategic view of America changed after September the 11th. We must deal with threats before they hurt the American people again. And as I have said repeatedly, Saddam Hussein would like nothing more than to use a terrorist network to attack and to kill and leave no fingerprints behind. Colin Powell will continue making that case to the American people and the world at the United Nations.

THE PRIME MINISTER: Adam.

Q: One question for you both. Do you believe that there is a link between Saddam Hussein, a direct link, and the men who attacked on September the 11th?

THE PRESIDENT: I can't make that claim.

THE PRIME MINISTER: That answers your question. [14]

Indeed, that does answer the question, and, yet, it was a mere five days later that Colin Powell insisted that there was such a direct link.

C. The Bush administration’s standard operating procedure

In light of Bush’s speeches and the press conference with Blair, I want to point out what seems to be the standard operating procedure of the entire Bush administration. Look closely at what the President said in the Blair press conference. He said that Powell would talk about “al Qaeda links,” but he never said that those links would be with Iraq. He said that the war on terror includes those that would train and equip groups “such as” Al Qaeda and that Saddam would like to use a terrorist network to make attacks, but he never said that Iraq trained or equipped Al Qaeda or that Saddam had plans or desires to use Al Qaeda. Nonetheless, Bush strongly implied these things. That is the standard operating procedure I am pointing out. Most of the time, everyone in the Bush administration (with the possible exception of Ari Fliescher, who is no longer there) speaks in indirect terms that could mean--or not mean--several different things. Some might consider such behavior crafty or even prudent. Given that we are dealing with war and actions that can and will affect this country for years to come, I have another name for it--bullshit. Now look at the statements in Bush’s previous speeches. Notice also that his statements reveal a variation on the standard operating procedure. Now Bush did use plenty of implication and language that could be interpreted different ways, but he took the bullshit to a new level. Instead of presenting any proof of a danger, he often tried to plant the idea of a threat by talking about a “nightmare scenario” in which Saddam “could become an arsenal” for terrorists and asking people to “Imagine a terrorist network with Iraq as an arsenal and as a training ground.” So, instead of only using implication, Bush started using speculation in place of proof.

Thus, while the acronym for standard operational procedure is S.O.P., for the Bush administration, the acronym should be S.O.B. [15]
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1. Dana Priest, “CIA fails to Find Iraqi Link to Terror,” Washington Post, September 11, 2002.

2. Id.

3. President Bush, Colombia President Uribe Discuss Terrorism, September 25, 2002 (emphasis added).

4. President Bush Outlines Iraqi Threat; Remarks by the President on Iraq, Cincinnati Museum Center - Cincinnati Union Terminal, Cincinnati, Ohio, October 7, 2002 (emphasis added).

5. Remarks by the President in Michigan Welcome, Oakland County International Airport, Waterford, Michigan, October 14, 2002 (emphasis added).

6. Remarks by the President at New Mexico Welcome, Riner Steinhoff Soccer Complex, Alamogordo, New Mexico, October 28, 2002 (emphasis added).

7. Remarks by the President in Colorado Welcome, Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum Denver, Colorado, October 28, 2002 (emphasis added).

8. Remarks by the President at New Hampshire Welcome, Pease International Tradeport Airport, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, November 1, 2002 (emphasis added).

9. Remarks by the President in Florida Welcome, University of South Florida - Sun Dome
Tampa, Florida, November 2, 2002 (emphasis added).

10. Remarks by the President at Illinois Welcome, Illinois Police Academy, Springfield, Illinois, November 3, 2002 (emphasis added).

11. Remarks by the President in Minnesota Welcome, Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota, November 3, 2002 (emphasis added).

12. Remarks by the President in Texas Welcome Southern Methodist University, Moody Coliseum, Dallas, Texas, November 4, 2002 (emphasis added).

13. President Delivers "State of the Union," January 28, 2003.

14. President Bush Meets with Prime Minister Blair; Remarks by the President and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, January 31, 2003 (emphasis added).

15. ...which means standard operational bullshit. This term comes from the Blake Edwards film, “S.O.B.”