The Senate Intelligence Committee released a major report on Friday that concluded there was no relationship between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda despite such claims by the Bush administration. The report stated “Saddam Hussein was distrustful of al-Qaida and viewed Islamic extremists as a threat to his regime, refusing all requests from al-Qaida to provide material or operational support.”

• Democratic Senator John Rockefeller: “During the build up to war, the intelligence community was put under pressure to support the administration’s position that there was a link between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. This is particularly distressing.”

The Senate report also disclosed for the first time that the CIA had concluded that Saddam’s government “did not have a relationship, harbor or turn a blind eye toward” al-Qaida operative Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In fact Hussein tried to have Zarqawi captured once he moved to Northern Iraq. Vice President Dick Cheney dismissed the Senate report during an interview on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press with Tim Russert.

• Dick Cheney: You’ve got Iraq and Al Qaeda, testimony from the Director of C.I.A. that there was indeed a relationship — Zarqawi in Baghdad. Et cetera. Then the…