Bloomberg: Bush Says Iraq Posed Threat Because of Terror Link

President George W. Bush said "numerous contacts" between Iraq and the al-Qaeda terrorist network justified the U.S.-led war on Saddam Hussein's regime.

"There was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and al- Qaeda,'' Bush told reporters after meeting with his Cabinet at the White House. "This administration never said that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated between Saddam and al-Qaeda. We did say there were numerous contacts between Saddam and al-Qaeda.''

..."Saddam Hussein was a threat,'' Bush said when asked about the report. "He was a threat because he had used weapons of mass destruction against his own people. He was a threat because he was a sworn enemy of the United States of America, just like al- Qaeda. He was a threat because he had terrorist connections.''

"The world is better off and America is more secure without Saddam Hussein in power,'' the president said.