[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13817]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           IRAQ AND AL-QAIDA

  Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, I find it troubling that the war in Iraq is 
not being equated to the overall war on terror. Polls have shown 
evidence that Americans are not making the connection. So the question 
at hand is, Was removing Saddam's government a positive step in the 
overall war on terror?
  Our ability to turn over control to a peaceful and sovereign Iraqi 
government is an integral part of the overall war on terror. 
Collaboration of Iraq's former regime with terrorist groups and its 
funding of them have not been in question. Yet few critics and 
naysayers have passed up the chance to undermine a link between Iraq 
and al-Qaida.
  Despite recent media reports that have clouded, or even 
misrepresented, the facts, there is compelling evidence that al-Qaida 
and Iraq have been linked for more than a decade. Democratic cochairman 
of the 9/11 Commission, former Representative Lee Hamilton of Indiana, 
told reporters there were connections between al-Qaida and Saddam 
Hussein's government.
  In a speech earlier this afternoon, former Vice President Al Gore 
accused President Bush of lying about a connection between al-Qaida and 
Iraq. This is the same Al Gore who was a member of the same Clinton 
White House that first made charges about the dangers of Iraq passing 
chemical or biological weapons to al-Qaida. Those charges formed the 
basis for the missile strikes against alleged terrorist targets in 
Sudan in August 1998, according to on-the-record statements from no 
fewer than six top Clinton administration officials.
  Documents discovered recently by U.S. forces at Saddam's hometown of 
Tikrit showed that Iraq gave Abdul Rahman Yasin both a home and a 
salary. Yasin was a member of the al-Qaida cell that detonated the 1993 
World Trade Center bomb. Is this not a clear example of Iraq not only 
having a relationship with al-Qaida but also harboring and rewarding a 
terrorist, a person who was directly involved in a terrorist attack on 
our soil?
  Let me highlight the case of Zarqawi, arguably the most dangerous 
terrorist in the world today. He and his men trained and fought with 
al-Qaida for years. Zarqawi's network helped establish and operate an 
explosives and poison facility in northeast Iraq. Not only was Zarqawi 
in Baghdad prior to Saddam's ousting, but nearly two dozen members of 
al-Qaida were there as well. One al-Qaida associate even described the 
situation in Iraq as good and stated that Baghdad could be transited 
quickly.
  Let me be clear. Mistakes have been made in Iraq, and this operation 
has been far from perfect, as evidenced by the fact that Zarqawi and 
other terrorists continue to wreak havoc throughout Iraq. But those who 
undermine the rationale for our mission in Iraq for political gain make 
our mission even more difficult and certainly do not boost the morale 
of our men and women in uniform.
  Many of these young men and women are from my home State of North 
Carolina. They seek to assist the Iraqi people in transforming a 
country that harbored and gave safe haven to terrorists, a country to 
which terrorists traveled to consort with one another about how to 
produce weapons and how to inflict them on a common enemy. The 
terrorists know what is at stake, which is why they are pulling out all 
the stops to derail our efforts. They understand that a free and 
democratic Iraq is a serious blow to their interests.
  I want our men and women in uniform to know that this Senator 
understands and appreciates the importance and the magnitude of the 
great work they are doing in Iraq. As my colleague, Senator Lieberman, 
stated very succinctly this morning, the war in Iraq is the central 
battleground in the war on terror. Because of the efforts and eventual 
success of many brave men and women, the American people and the world 
are much safer.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the Senator from 
Kentucky is recognized.

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