Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor asserted as early as Sept. 13. 2001, that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks and needed to be removed.
Foreign policy genius O'Reilly didn't come up with that on his own. And, sure enough:
Sept. 13:
O'REILLY: Well, we are aware of -- that there was sensitivity in that. Why don't we ask Ambassador Kirkpatrick to comment. I thought it was a major mistake that Saddam Hussein was not removed in that war because he has been a thorn in the world's side ever since. And I -- the evidence that we're seeing here tonight, Ms Kirkpatrick, is he very well might have had a financial hand in this terrorist attack. What do you think?
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O'REILLY: All right. Listen, I'm with you I'm just trying to figure out if it will be effective. We tried the blockade in the -- all of that with Iraq. And it looks like this guy -- Saddam Hussein -- had a hand in this now. I mean, at least financial speaking.
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O'REILLY: Well, we are aware of -- that there was sensitivity in that. Why don't we ask Ambassador Kirkpatrick to comment. I thought it was a major mistake that Saddam Hussein was not removed in that war because he has been a thorn in the world's side ever since. And I -- the evidence that we're seeing here tonight, Ms Kirkpatrick, is he very well might have had a financial hand in this terrorist attack. What do you think?
Sept. 14:
O'REILLY: Now, from the very beginning of this horror, I have said I believe the attack involved not just the killers, run by Osama bin Laden, but also some foreign nations. Researcher Laurie Mylroie agrees with me and joins us now from Washington. Ms. Mylroie is the author of the book, "Study of Revenge: Saddam Hussein's Unfinished War Against America." Do you have any evidence, Ms. Mylroie, that Saddam Hussein is involved in the world trade center and pentagon attacks?
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O'REILLY: But what we didn't do and what is really going to come back to haunt us, and I'm going to have to take a short, just a very short pause to go to our affiliate stations, but I was over there on the so-called highway of death and we had a chance to knock out the Republican Guard, the only people that prop up this monster, Saddam Hussein, who I believe is involved with this World Trade Center and Pentagon bombing. I believe that you're going to find out that money from Iraq flowed in and helped this happen.