Richard Benedetto, USA Today
September 17, 2003

Most Americans suspect that Saddam Hussein was somehow connected to the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, polls show. The Bush administration has said since before the war with Iraq that Iraq has ties to al-Qaeda, which carried out the plot.

Wednesday, however, President Bush said there was no solid evidence that Saddam was directly connected to the attacks on New York and Washington.

"We have no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11th" attacks," Bush said in a brief encounter with reporters after a meeting with members of Congress. Bush added, "There's no question that Saddam Hussein had al-Qaeda ties."