Let Me Paraphrase President Bush's speech tonight:

[DVaut1]

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With a common enemy in the U.S., al Qaeda would be an attractive ally.

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The US has many enemies. Not all of them are natural allies.

I still have difficulty believing Osama Bin Laden/Al-Qaeda would see much appeal in alligning itself with the secular, Ba'thist regime that formerly controlled Iraq; neither's interests were much furthered by such an allignment (specifically Saddam -- what exactly did he have to gain from such an alliance? He surely would have much to lose, as a large Al-Qaeda presence in Ba'thist Iraq would have provided a serious competitor to his regime). Even a nominal or superficial alliance between the two presented a serious threat to the Ba'th party -- not only internally, but internationally, too (keeping in mind that the US decided to invade even WITHOUT strong links between Saddam and 9-11/Al-Qaeda).

Surely, Al-Qaeda could have used a haven to continue its operations after US operations in Afghanistan; however, there was certainly no reason for Al-Qaeda to believe Iraq would fulfill those needs anyway.

IMO, there's not much compelling evidence that Iraq and Al-Qaeda were linked; and I see no reason to believe they were somehow natural allies fated to unite, either.

[BCPVP]

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specifically Saddam -- what exactly did he have to gain from such an alliance?

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A deniable way to attack the U.S.

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He surely would have much to lose, as a large Al-Qaeda presence in Ba'thist Iraq would have provided a serious competitor to his regime

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Al Qaeda wouldn't necessarily have to be in Iraq.

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Surely, Al-Qaeda could have used a haven to continue its operations after US operations in Afghanistan; however, there was certainly no reason for Al-Qaeda to believe Iraq would fulfill those needs anyway.

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A physical location, money, weapons, etc. All things that Iraq could provide.