No. There is no credible evidence from any source whatsoever that supports the assertion that Saddam Hussein was in league with al-Qaeda. Not even Bush claims that anymore. Every intelligence agency in the world says that was BS from start to finish. I said it before and I will say it again: the ONLY link between Iraq and al-Qaeda before we invaded was an anti-Hussein Kurdish group that was linked to al-Qaeda.

As to Syria, first of all I am unaware of any unusually close links between Iran and Syria other than they both support anti-Israel groups in Lebanon and Palestine...but so do many Muslim nations. But even if there was such a close relationship between Shi'a Iran and the secular Baath party, that in no way contradicts what I said. Iran would not ally themselves with Sunni fundamentalists like the Taliban. However, allying themselves with secular leaning governments is a possibility. You are aware that Syria, for all its faults, is not fundamentalist?

And, in case you missed it, I was right about a link between Iran and the Taliban being bullshit. The head of NATO in Afghanistan denies that any such link exists.