Help me win an argument at work about Saddam and bin Laden

[prolesunited]

I was arguing with a skeptic at work about how we helped put Saddam in power to fight against Iran and actually helped get the Kurds gassed with covert campaigns. Also, he doesn't believe our role in helping bin Laden rise the power to fight the Russians in Afghanistan, even providing training, and the bin Ladens relationship with the Bushes. (Did George and Osama ever meet?)

The trick is that I need mainstream type reports, not blogs or anyone considered on the left. So mainstream media or congressional testimony/documents would be good.

I know this stuff exists. Can anyone help me put my hands on it?

[peacebird]

1. lots of links at wikipedia, perhaps something useful?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddam_Hussein

[Clark2008]

2. Would this work?

Bin Laden was, though, a product of a monumental miscalculation by western security agencies. Throughout the 80s he was armed by the CIA and funded by the Saudis to wage jihad against the Russian occupation of Afghanistan. Al-Qaida, literally "the database", was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians. Inexplicably, and with disastrous consequences, it never appears to have occurred to Washington that once Russia was out of the way, Bin Laden's organisation would turn its attention to the west.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,1523838,00.html

The Guardian is a left-wingish newspaper in Britian, but it is decidedly mainstream and very popular there.

[yewberry]

3. Here's one

that couldn't be construed as left in any way:
http://www.fff.org/comment/com0406g.asp

[applegrove]

4. Don't let them design the parameters of the discussion. You go and get

good sources irregardless of their political bent. The NRA does the same thing...they throw a list at ya of where your "proof" can come from. Tell them that is obfuscation.

I think the Nation did a long article on Saddam Hussein in about 2000 to 2002.

[FormerOstrich]

5. Don't know if this helps but.....

the link is from a paid subscription at highbeam (use to be elibrary...I liked it better then).

This article is about Usama and Salem visiting the US when they were fourteen and the relationship with *. You can probably find the publication at a library if not on the net somewhere.

It's from The Daily Mail (London England) 9/24/2001

"Bin Laden's amazing business link to Bush; Having fun in the 'decadent' West with his brothers and sisters, the world's most wanted man at age 14"


Article

My understanding is Reagan had Usama as a guest in the White House. I tried to find documentation on that awhile back but the best I could find was speeches referring to the guests as Afghanistan Freedom Fighters and not specifically bin Laden.