“The Sept. 11 commission reported yesterday [June 16, 2004] that it has found no ‘collaborative relationship’ between Iraq and al Qaeda, challenging one of the Bush administration’s main justifications for the war in Iraq. Along with the contention that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, President Bush, Vice President [Dick] Cheney and other top administration officials have often asserted that there were extensive ties between Hussein’s government and Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network; earlier this year, Cheney said evidence of a link was ‘overwhelming.’ ”
– Walter Pincus and Dana Milbank, “Al Qaeda-Hussein Link Is Dismissed,” The Washington Post, June 17, 2004