Barbara Boxer: “Here is the thing. Dr. Rice told the American people that there were strong ties between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Osama…”

“Here is the thing. Dr. Rice told the American people that there were strong ties between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. These are her words: We clearly know that there were in the past and have been contacts between senior Iraqi officials and members of al- Qaeda going back for actually quite a long time. And there are some al-Qaeda personnel who found refuge in Baghdad. Now, I want to show a map that the State Department put out, and it was accompanied by a letter from President Bush, a month after 9/11. Here is the map. The red indicates where there are al-Qaida cells. Unfortunately, we notice the United States is red. That is why we have to win this war. This is the list where al-Qaida or affiliated groups have operated, and this is a month after 9/11, put out by this administration. No Iraq. So how do you then go on television, look the American people in the eye, and tell them that in fact--and I will go back to her quote again: We clearly know that there were in the past and have been contacts between senior Iraqi officials and members of al- Qaeda going back for actually quite a long time. And there are some al-Qaeda personnel who found refuge in Baghdad. She did not tell the full story there, and I gave her a chance to do it. It is really troubling to me. After all this time, these are the things she could have said: I never checked out that map. You are right, Senator, there were no al-Qaida there. But she didn't do that.”