John Boehner, August 12, 2005

As President Bush has said, "The recent violence in Iraq is a grim reminder of the brutal enemies we face in the war on terror." There’s no question that the price of war has stirred our emotions and challenged our consciences here in the 8th District, and throughout Ohio. But as we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, and salute those who continue to serve, it’s important to remember why we fight.

Unfortunately, many opponents of President Bush have used bad news from the war front to continue their campaign of deception. They say Iraq isn’t part of the War on Terror; they argue Saddam "had no links with al Qaeda," and this campaign is nothing more than a "sideshow," or a "misuse of our military." All of this is, of course, untrue.

The regime we’ve toppled and the ideology we’re battling in Iraq is one in the same one with those who’ve claimed victims in New York, Washington, Madrid, Istanbul, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Bali, London, and elsewhere. And their connections are long and well-documented.

Let me give you one example from a Pentagon report released in March.

In the mid-90s a former Iraqi infantryman and member of al Qaeda organized weapons and ammunition in a Taliban storage arsenal in Mazar-e-Sharif (a city in northern Afghanistan, and site of a fierce battle in November 2001). He met with an assistant to Osama bin Laden on three separate occasions between 1995 and 1997. And from 1997 to 1998 he served as a trusted agent of bin Laden himself, coordinating three separate reconnaissance missions for the al Qaeda leader in Oman, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Then, in August 1998, he traveled to Pakistan with a member of Iraqi Intelligence. Their goal? To blow up the Pakistan, United States and British embassies with chemical mortars. This is only one example of Iraq / al Qaeda collusion.

What else happened in 1998? The New York Times reported on a federal grand jury indictment that offered, "new information about Mr. bin Laden's operations, including one deal he is said to have struck with Iraq to cooperate in the development of weapons in return for Mr. bin Laden's agreeing not to work against that country."

Again that August, President Clinton asserted that Saddam Hussein was providing technical assistance to al Qaeda in the construction of a VX (nerve gas) production facility in Sudan. After al Qaeda attacked American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, President Clinton ordered air strikes on that chemical weapons facility -- which, you may remember, was disguised as a "pharmaceutical" plant.

Back then the media wasn’t shy about reporting ties between Saddam and al Qaeda as it is now. In January 1999, Newsweek ran an article with the headline, "Saddam + Bin Laden? America's two enemies are courting." And an ABC News report that same month noted that, "bin Laden's long relationship with the Iraqis began as he helped Sudan's fundamentalist government in their efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction."

Now, it’s true that there is no specific evidence of Iraqi involvement in the planning or execution of the September 11th attacks. But as Lee Hamilton, vice-chairman of the 9/11 Commission (and widely respected former Democratic Congressman from Indiana), said of Saddam and al Qaeda in general, "There are all kinds of ties ... There are all kinds of connections." In the end, we were right to act before Saddam could pose an imminent threat. Iraq, the United States, and the world are safer with his regime out of the picture.

As the representative of a district that is home to many soldiers and veterans, I’m grateful for the sacrifices made by these heroes. Those of us who enjoy the benefits of democracy and a free society owe them our eternal gratitude, and our understanding that their cause is just, and their service is noble.

My prayers are with the families of our Armed Forces, and my thoughts are with those fighting to preserve freedom in this multi-pronged war against radical Islamism. May they all return home as soon as possible.

Congressman John Boehner, a Republican, represents Ohio's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Mercer Counties.