Cheney: Saddam had strong al-Qaida ties

VP repeats long-standing position, but offers no new evidence

updated 6:56 a.m. CT, Tues., June. 15, 2004

ORLANDO, Fla. - Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that Saddam Hussein had “long-established ties” with al-Qaida, an assertion that has been repeatedly challenged by some policy experts and lawmakers.

The vice president offered no details backing up his claim of a link between Saddam and al-Qaida.

“He was a patron of terrorism,” Cheney said of Hussein during a speech before The James Madison Institute, a conservative think-tank based in Florida. “He had long established ties with al-Qaida.” Read On