Powell Sees No 'Direct' Link Between Saddam Hussein and Sept. 11

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," said he had "seen nothing that makes a direct connection between Saddam Hussein and that awful regime and what happened on 9/11." Asked how he believes Sen. John F. Kerry would respond to a terrorist attack, Powell said, "I can't tell you how he might respond to it. As commander in chief, I think he'd respond to it in a robust way." NBC's Tim Russert, using language similar to a question President Bush had posed about Kerry regarding the former Iraqi leader, asked Powell if he "knew today that Saddam did not have these weapons of mass destruction, would you still advocate an invasion?" Powell did not answer directly, but said, "I would have to look at the total picture, and we'd have to sit down and talk about his intention to have such weapons, the capability that was inherent." [more ]

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