Well, let's see if I can imitate Cheney's style.

Teribus--I'm shocked that you would consider my post of 8 Dec 10:18 PM to be an attack on you. After all, I took pains to establish that I believed you were just stupidly careless, not a liar. (End of imitation)

Your carelessness continues--as in your acccusation that I consider myself infallible--when I have in fact caught, acknowledged and corrected my own mistake--something you have yet to do, despite a long history of error.

"In the period mid-2002 to March 2003 why did the US government need to wage a propaganda campaign to convince people of a link that that same administration had already publicly stated did not exist?"

Good question--except that we've told you many times already---how many more times til it finally sinks in?

The answer, yet again, is that in 2001 the focus was the Taliban. By mid-2002 the Bush regime had decided to attack Iraq--and wanted it to seem justified in the eyes of the US public. Hence the propaganda campaign was necessary--and eventually successful.

And you STILL have no evidence that it did not take place.

Your only clear statement by a member of the Bush regime that there was no evidence of a link between Saddam and 11 Sept 2001 is from 16 Sept 2001, the date of a clip watched by Russert and Cheney on 8 Sept 2002.

What was actually said on 8 Sept 2002 supports, rather than disproves the propaganda campaign allegation.

In fact we have given you a blizzard of quotes linking Saddam and 11 Sept 2001 by members of the Bush "team" during the mid-2002 to March 2003 period.

So far, you still have absolutely not one shred of evidence of a CLEAR statement by a Bush spokesman during the above period that there was no link between Saddam and 11 September 2001.

I repeat, yet again--the propaganda campaign during the above period to link Saddam and 11 September 2001 is a fact, not a theory--with the obvious goal that I cited.

Though you have provided much evidence that you don't understand how propaganda works--you still have to visit your local library-- you have provided absolutely no evidence that Bush and co did not carry out the above-cited propaganda campaign between mid-2002 and March 2003.

Nor will you ever be able to come up with the needed evidence of a clear disassociation by a Bush "team member" of Saddam from 11 Sept 2001 during the time of the above-cited propaganda campaign- which was ( yet again)--mid 2002 to March 2003------because such evidence doesn't exist.

Sorry about your crushed ego. Next time when you make a foolish statement, recognize it and back off. Nobody's perfect.

Congratulations, however, for keeping your temper in check.