Cliff Stearns: “with each passing day, the President's critics become more emboldened in their attacks on what they decry as a…”

“with each passing day, the President's critics become more emboldened in their attacks on what they decry as a misleading impetus to go to war. According to the information they are able to ascertain from 24-hour news channels and the New York Times, they continue to condemn the President's claim that Saddam Hussein had links to al Qaeda. We have all heard their diatribes accusing the President of invading Iraq with little or no evidence that Saddam Hussein worked along Osama bin Laden. I recommend the recent article in the Weekly Standard's current issue that details the memo written in response to the administration's prewar intelligence. It is clear evidence of the nexus of terrorism with terrorist-sponsoring states that many antiwar advocates deny exists at all. According to this memo, dated October 27, 2003, bin Laden and Saddam Hussein had an operational relationship from the early 1990s to 2003 that involved training in explosives, weapons of mass destruction, logistical support for terrorist attacks, al Qaeda training camps, safe haven in Iraq, and Iraq financial support for al Qaeda. Mr. Speaker, the findings put forth in the memo come from a variety of domestic and foreign agencies including the FBI, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, and the National Security Agency. Much of the evidence is detailed, conclusive, and corroborated by multiple sources.”