The greatest trick the devil ever pulled ...

There are a lot of "lies that won't die." The U.S. role in Israel's Six-Day War. The Jewish cabal that orchestrated 9/11. The devil convincing the world he doesn't exist.

But six years after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks -- and long after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and ouster of Saddam Hussein, whom investigations had found had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks -- millions of ignoramuses continue to believe otherwise. Heaven help us.

WASHINGTON — On the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, one-third of the American people continue to believe that Saddam Hussein was "personally involved" in the terrorist assault, according to one recent poll.

Other surveys show that a larger number — 40 percent or more — believe that Iraq had some role in the attacks, or that Iraq gave substantial support to al-Qaida.

The 9/11 Commission and intelligence experts never found such a connection, but even after six years of reports and news accounts, the myth of a strong Iraq-Sept. 11 link persists.

(skip)

"The Bush administration has been extremely clever at suggesting connections without being explicit," [Ohio State political science professor John] Mueller said. "And if you support the war, you want to believe it. You hear soldiers in Iraq all the time say that they're there because of 9/11."