One somewhat disturbing piece of the puzzle fell today, with the BBC pointing out the Iraqi Government and al Q'aeda would be 'unlikely bedfellows'.. this in a preamble to Colin Powell's UN address..
It was correctly pointed out that bin Laden would likely think Hussein something of a secular fascist.. that al Q'aeda's goal is an Islamic Caliphate to rule over a Muslim world, and Hussein's is venal greed and self-promotion..
But this in itself makes the connection viable. For Hussein is training terrorists.. cells of Palitinian and Iraqi terrorists have been documented..
For a price, he would even tolerate bin Laden and his zealots. And they would tolerate him, thinking that he will fall with the other false leaders when all is good with the world again.