Smoking Gun

Stung by recent reports that there was no collaborative relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, and hoping to bolster the Bush administration's ambiguous claims that there were "ties" between the two, the White House today released a stunning bit of new evidence. This brief instant messenger exchange captured by the CIA on October 6, 2001, is thought to be between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden:

GANasser: GJ on 9/11.
Jihad_Rulz: thx! we totally pwned the usa.
GANasser: So WDUWTA?
Jihad_Rulz: ru interested in working w/aq?
GANasser: OMFG. Totally <3 to! I h8 the USA.
Jihad_Rulz: kewl. i h9 the usa.
GANasser: LOL! When?
Jihad_Rulz: need to w8 a bit.
GANasser: k
Jihad_Rulz: theyll prolly attack us asap.
GANasser: That sux0rs.
Jihad_Rulz: good 4 recruitment.
GANasser: Qoolz. Well, GTG. TTFN
Jihad_Rulz: l8r

Analysts believe that Hussein uses the nickname "GANasser" and that bin Laden goes by "Jihad_Rulz". The exchange employs a very sophisticated code that the best minds at the NSA have yet to break, but President Bush today declared that this revelation should "once and for all end speculation that we have no proof of a relationship."

"These evildoers obviously coordinated their efforts using advanced networking technology," Mr. Bush said. He went on to give a tortured explanation of how this justified the war in Iraq, pointing out that now Iraqi schools have Internet access via AOL and students can use IM to build democracy in their country.

ntodd