Is there a link? The Vice President speaks.

Apparently, those who have/had "links" to al Qaeda are to be placed in the column of Those-Who-Are-Against-Us. And I have to say, I do not doubt that the government of Iraq had links to al Qaeda. After all, they all live on the same planet. As to we all, I believe. I could be wrong here; it is possible that our Vice President does not live on this planet: Speaking of the [September 11] commission, he [Vice President Dick Cheney] said, "They did not address the broader question of a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda in other areas, in other ways." He said "the evidence is overwhelming." He described the ties and cited numerous links back to the 1990's, including contacts between Osama bin Laden and Iraqi intelligence officials. (New York Times, June 17, 2004).
The thing is, the United States government ALSO had contacts with al Qaeda. Mostly through the CIA, of course, which appears to be the branch of government most tasked with the handling of foreign affairs these days. It was the CIA that provided arms, including SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles) to al Qaeda and the Taliban. To be honest, most of the aid sent to Afghanistan was provided to the Taliban rather than directly to their ally al Qaeda. The CIA even provided textbooks to Taliban madrassa schools. Intended to demonize the Soviet Union, they proved to be such effective tools of instruction they continued to be used by the Taliban to demonize all things western, including, of course, their providers. This is a truly wondrous irony, or would be if the results hadn't proved so deadly.
So, when it comes to the question of "links", I would hope the veep would be a little more circumspect in his assertions.