Media Matters? Poll Shows More than 4 in 10 Still Link Saddam to 9/11
NEW YORK While the press gave extensive coverage Tuesday to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's statement that he hasn't seen "any strong, hard evidence" to link Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and the al-Qaeda terrorists who staged the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, it became ever more apparent that the media still have their work cut out for them on this issue.
Rumsfeld's comments came as a new USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll found that 42% of those surveyed thought the former Iraqi leader was involved in the attacks on New York City and Washington.
In response to another question, 32% said they thought Saddam had personally planned them.
The same poll in June showed that 56% of all Republicans said they thought Saddam was involved with the 9/11 attacks.
The independent commission that investigated 9/11 concluded in June that there was "no credible evidence that Iraq (news - web sites) and al-Qaeda cooperated on attacks against the United States." The panel also said "contacts" between al-Qaeda and Iraq "do not appear to have resulted in a collaborative relationship."
--E&P Staff