[+/-] Rumsfeld flip-flops on Iraq-Al Qaeda link

Yesterday it was reported that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld admitted that there was no connection between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Today, he flip-flopped:

A question I answered today at an appearance before the Council on Foreign Relations regarding ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq regrettably was misunderstood.

I have acknowledged since September 2002 that there were ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq.... I should also note that the 9/11 Commission report described linkages between Al Qaeda and Iraq as well.

He's right -- the 9/11 commission report, issued in July, did mention al Qaeda. Specifically, the report concluded there may have been meetings between Iraqi officials and Osama bin Laden or his aides in 1999 but there was "no evidence that these or the earlier contacts ever developed into a collaborative operational relationship."

Let’s see if we can keep all these changing stories straight. On Sunday, the defense secretary says there were weapons of mass destruction. On Monday, he says there were not. On Monday, he admits no evidence existed to show a link between Hussein and bin Laden. A few hours later, he recants and says the link existed.

But both assessments, and both stories, were based on intelligence he says was faulty. So which lie is based on which faulty intelligence?

It’s hard to sustain The Big Lie when the big liars can’t keep their stories straight.