"Setting the Record Straight"

further to the previous post about the WH 'refuting' claims made in the newspapers, i actually hadnt finished reading their 'refutation' of the NYT ed before i published my previous post. it actually gets better, much better.

are you sitting down?

the refutation says:
"The New York Times Editorial Says The Claim That Iraq And Al Qaeda Were In League Was "Absurd" And Implies That The President Connected Saddam Hussein To The 9/11 Attacks. "
and then quotes the relevant section from the editorial - no surprises there.

are you still sitting down?

the 'refutation' then says:

"But The President Never Connected Iraq To The 9/11 Attacks

1. President Bush Said There Is "No Evidence That Saddam Hussein Was Involved With" 9/11.

PRESIDENT BUSH: "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th."
(President Bush, D.C., 9/17/03)

2. Condoleezza Rice Said That Saddam Hussein Never "Had Either Direction Or Control Of 9/11."

RICE: "And we have never claimed that Saddam Hussein had
either, that Saddam Hussein had either direction or control of 9/11. " (ABC's "Nightline," 9/16/03)

i barely have the energy to highlight all of the lies implicit in this statement - other than to note that:
a) both of those quotes come from 6 months *after* the invasion
b) Blinky's quote actually went on to say "There's no question that Saddam Hussein had al Qaeda ties."

i'll also note that the WH series of pieces 'debunking' msm articles is called "Setting the Record Straight."