Is there a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda?

Though I would be labelled "right-wing", I'm sure, I would hesitate to propagate any of the stuff about connections between these two entities. There is just too much unknown for any of it to be reliable.On the otherhand, regardless of how bad (and I mean bad) the president tries to justify the Iraq war, it was, in the long run, a very good thing to do.Al-Qaida isn't the only terrorist organization in the world, nor the only dangerous one. Far from it, Hamas and Hezbollah fund, plan, and execute a multitude of terrorist operations every week in the Middle East and abroad against U.S. and Israeli interests.Saddam did, in fact, fund suicide bombing campaigns and many bombers' families in the past. It *is* part of the global war on terror, and regardless of spin, Iraq has pretty much nothing to do with 9/11, except to say that terrorism is terrorism anywhere, and terrorists perpetrated 9/11.-Justin

I have a different perspective, sorry.The "bully" we took down killed hundreds of thousands of his own people. He funded suicide bombers to kill innocent Israelis. He pissed off enough nations to have the U.N. actually do something about it for once, and they passed 16 resolutions to get him to act. He did not. He got one last chance by Bush & Co. He, amazingly, didn't suddenly capitulate. So he's gone.Have we done some things wrong? Sure, many. Have they somehow made what we did any worse? No.Kerry's plan is just a shadow of Bush's already active plan. Train them some soldiers, get them elections, get out.What's the problem here?Also, my vote isn't cast based on the Iraq war alone, by any means.-Justin

I can't make myself believe it was "rushing to war" when there are 16 previous resolutions trying to use "diplomacy" as a means to an end.It was the STATED policy of the Clinton administration as well as the current Bush administration to have "regime change" in Iraq. This is not a new concept.-Justin

Or he could do what Kerry said he would do in the debate, which is what he's doing right now already, anyway.Train the Iraqis to fight and police, get elections going to get legitimacy in the eyes of many Iraqis, and get out.Have you seen any polling data from Iraq on how the citizens feel about our plan for their future? (I haven't in a long while, just curious as to current numbers)-Justin

Incorrect. The U.N. called on him to *disarm his nation*, and let inspectors back in. He did not.-Justin