This morning Stephen Hayes who wrote “The Connection: How al Qaeda’s Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America” was on Fox and Friends. The hosts were bubbling over with excitement that a possible connection had been found in Saddam Hussein’s security team to al Qaeda planners of 9/11. 9/11 Commissioner John Lehman had said words to that effect on Meet the Press on Sunday- indicating that one of Saddam’s Fedayeen officers had attended the September 11th planning meeting.

Stephen Hayes seemed much less excited and burst their bubble ever so slightly by saying he doubted it was the same guy.

I was surprised to hear this, since Hayes’s book is pretty much a list of Doug Feith’s NeoCon talking points for invading Iraq- most of which have since been discredited. Reading what I can find about the book, it sounds like this story is the lead-off chapter of his book. On top of that, he wrote an article in the Weekly Standard this month about it… surely he’s going to defend it?

Nope. Not this time.

According to Newsday, the CIA had long ago investigated and dismissed this connection. Hayes obviously had gotten notice that this was a dead end and was attempting to downplay it- perhaps he should have tipped off the moronic hosts of F&F before the interview started.

It seems like new information is coming out daily that discredits Hayes’s book- another claim he makes is that Mohammed Atta went to a meeting in Prague in April of 2001- cell phone, credit card and telephone records indicate otherwise, but Hayes claimed most people would lend their friends their cell phone if they’re going out of the country. He didn’t mention anything about the credit cards.

It seems to be a case of “the facts don’t fit the situation, so change the facts.”

The Fox hosts really did seem relieved that there was finally a connection between Saddam and al Qaeda. Too bad for them it didn’t pan out. I’m not expecting a correction anytime soon- but if they were honest they would lead with one tomorrow.