Redrum, Redrum, Rumsfeld
Bully, Bully, Bullshit

Now, he grudgingly spins the truth to suggest that the lack of relationship between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein is a this 'n that 'n maybe-not affair:

Asked to describe the connection between Saddam and al-Qaida, the Pentagon chief first refused to answer, then said: "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two."

He said he had seen intelligence on that question "migrate in amazing ways" in the past year, adding that there were "many differences of opinion in the intelligence community." He did not elaborate on that but said relationships among terrorists "evolve and change over time."

Let's make it clear. Anyone who knew ANYTHING about Iraq knew that the orthodox Muslims -- let alone the radical ones -- considered Saddam a disgrace to Islam. He allowed women to go without the veil, to drive cars, to own businesses. And he allowed hotels to serve alcoholic drinks.

Osama went to poppy Ben Ladn after Desert Storm to ask for money to go into Iraq and take him (Saddam) out for just that reason. (Then he got mad that they'd allowed US military bases on the sacred soil of Araby, and rasied such a fuss, the Saudi family threw him out.)

It is easier to imagine a close alliance between Larry Flynt and Pope John Paul II than any common ground between those two.

But, in the Oilmen's Club in Houston, all Arabs are the same -- oh they know they're not "camel jockeys," or "ragheads."

The oilmen refer to them as "sand niggers."

In short -- it would have been damn near impossible for them NOT to know there was no connection -- that the only Al Qaeda people in Iraq were with Wowie Zarqawi (yeah, Mr. Beheadings) up in Kurdistan, where Saddam had no authority (but we did) ... and the Bushleaguers knew that, but declined to take him out because with him gone, the rationale for invasion (that Al Qaeda was in Iraq) would be gone.

But Redrum still wants to pretend he just now found out, sort of, maybe.

Tarring, feathering, riding out of town on a rail ... the old ways are still the best.