Did Bush really create the impression among the American public that Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the 9/11 attack? Or is this another liberal media lie which can be attributed to Bush Derangement Syndrome?

Let's see what the some people have been saying:

From the Christian Science Monitor - March 2003

Polling data show that right after Sept. 11, 2001, when Americans were asked open-ended questions about who was behind the attacks, only 3 percent mentioned Iraq or Hussein.

Also....

"The administration has succeeded in creating a sense that there is some connection [between Sept. 11 and Saddam Hussein]," says Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland.

Yet, according to a Washington Post poll taken in September 2003, when asked, "How likely is it that Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the September 11 terrorist attacks?", 69% percent of the respondents answered "very" or "somewhat likely". Surprisingly, this is down slightly from 78% two days after the attacks.

Therefore, Bush did not create the impression that Iraq was repsonsible for 9/11, and as an Instapundit reader writes, "Could it be that Clinton and the Democrats had led us to believe Saddam was dangerous and capable of such a thing? Nah. They'd rather blame Bush."

Also, this forgotten nugget from a press conference in the U.K. in January 2003.

Q One question for you both. Do you believe that there is a link between Saddam Hussein, a direct link, and the men who attacked on September the 11th?

THE PRESIDENT: I can't make that claim.

THE PRIME MINISTER: That answers your question.