Iraq: Iraq and al-Qaeda: What's Behind a Sinister Flirtation

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Did Powell push the case too far? A congressional aide who has received classified intelligence briefings told TIME there are still "mixed views" inside the CIA about a link between Iraq and al-Qaeda. But Powell seemed to be trying to underscore risks more than prove certainties. "The nexus of poisons and terror is new," Powell said. "The nexus of Iraq and terror is old." The U.S. is edging closer to concluding that war is the only way to rip them apart. --By Romesh Ratnesar. Reported by Joshua Kucera/Serget and Douglas Waller/Washington