Via Atrios
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld mixed up Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden with deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein twice in a speech Friday.
Among other things, Rumsfeld talked about the world just before the Sept. 11 attacks, whose third anniversary is today. In Afghanistan, he told the National Press Club, "the leader of the opposition Northern Alliance, Masoud, lay dead, his murder ordered by Saddam Hussein, by Osama bin Laden, Taliban's co-conspirator."
Ahmed Shah Masoud, who opposed the ruling Taliban, was killed by suspected Al Qaeda operatives -- not Hussein -- two days before the Sept. 11 attacks.
Later, Rumsfeld said, "Saddam Hussein, if he's alive, is spending a whale of a lot of time trying to not get caught. And we've not seen him on a video since 2001."
Hussein was captured by U.S. forces in Iraq; Bin Laden has not been found.
(Yeah, I took the article quote direct from Atrios, if only 'cuz the LA Times registration process is a bit too thorough for me to dare try and set up a DKos account there.)
Any one want to bet what caused this? A case of the liar believing his lie? A Freudian slip? Purposeful misdirection?
In any case, it's good someone called him on it...but I highly doubt any of the other major outlets will have the balls to call him out. Hell, they'll probably point to it as proof of the war's necessity.