Hmmmm...

Just found this in the comments section at Eschaton - rather interesting, given how much time and energy Bush has put into convincing people that there is a link between Iraq and al-Qaeda.  The quote is from the official transcript of a January 31st joint press conference with President Bush and Prime Minister Blair, located at the official White Hourse site:

Q One question for you both. Do you believe that there is a link between Saddam Hussein, a direct link, and the men who attacked on September the 11th?

THE PRESIDENT: I can't make that claim.

THE PRIME MINISTER: That answers your question. The one thing I would say, however, is I've absolutely no doubt at all that unless we deal with both of these threats, they will come together in a deadly form. Because, you know, what do we know after September the 11th? We know that these terrorists networks would use any means they can to cause maximum death and destruction. And we know also that they will do whatever they can to acquire the most deadly weaponry they can. And that's why it's important to deal with these issues together.

Be sure to re-read that. One of the main justifications for this war has been the belief among many Americans that Saddam Hussein IS connected to al-Qaeda and the 9/11 attacks. President Bush has been going out of his way to create the impression of this link, and polls show that 48% of the American people believe that there is a connection, even though there has been no evidence presented to back up that belief. Yet here we have the President, upon being asked directly if he believes (not if he has evidence of or can prove - just if he believes) that a link exists, and his answer is that he "can't make that claim". This isn't something where his words are being twisted, or a case of bad reporting by the so-called liberal media - this is from an official White House transcript from the White House website.