Bush and Blair’s Pre-Iraq Conversation Must Be Disclosed, U.K. Tribunal Rules

[Hissyspit]

Source: The Guardian / Raw Story

Bush and Blair’s pre-Iraq conversation must be disclosed, U.K. tribunal rules

By Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 0:01 EDT

Extracts of a phone conversation between Tony Blair and George Bush a few days before the invasion of Iraq must be disclosed, a tribunal has ruled.

The Foreign Office lost an appeal against an order by the information commissioner, Christopher Graham, to disclose records of the conversation between the two leaders on 12 March 2003. Graham’s order was made in response to a freedom of information request by Stephen Plowden, a private individual who demanded disclosure of the entire record of the conversation.

- snip -

Upholding that ruling on Monday, Judge John Angel, president of the information tribunal, said Foreign Office witnesses had downplayed the importance of a decision to go to war, a view the tribunal found “difficult to accept”.

The tribunal added: “Also in our view, particularly from the evidence in this case, the circumstances surrounding a decision by a UK government to go to war with another country is always likely to be of very significant public interest, even more so with the consequences of this war.”

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/22/bush-and-blairs-pre-iraq-conversation-must-be-disclosed-u-k-tribunal-rules/

[jaysunb]

1. Great !

I hope it's released the 4th Monday in October

[lonestarnot]

2. Fuck Yeah!

We may see a criminal on trial yet. But don't hold your breath!

[cstanleytech]

3. Its about time. nt

[Solly Mack]

4. k/r

[pacalo]

5. Once again, the British come through for those of us in the U.S. who have seen through this

sham from the get-go. Thank goodness they're not going to allow it to slither away.

This passage seems to indicate something very illegal or very embarrassing is what's at stake here:

Angus Lapsley, a Foreign Office official responsible for US-UK relations, argued against disclosure on the grounds that Britain had “a uniquely close and privileged relationship with the US”. He added that there was “no comparator” in terms of the “breadth and depth” of the UK’s relationship with the US, which was vital to Britain’s national interests.

[freshwest]

24. +1,000 + K & R. If only we could get the Cheney/oil company meet FOIA'd.

But maybe that's what that fire in Cheney's office was about. Not likely to be any evidence to get now.

[pacalo]

25. Cheney's office fire! And the shredding truck captured on camera...

Spotted on 10/19, by an eagle-eyed Wonkette reader:
The Mid-Atlantic Shredding Services truck making its way
up to the Cheney compound at the Naval Observatory.

http://crooksandliars.com/2006/10/31/shredding-with-dick

[freshwest]

26. Yep! Remember the months between the coronation of Bush and September 11th?

The scandals were coming fast and furious, the ENRON one that brought down Arthur Anderson, and all the details that were coming out about all his buddies. The way it was going in the media, I thought Shrub would be gone any time or be a one-termer at best. And then our minds got wiped by the WTC attack and the rest is history which can't be re-written.

I think about this, and what was the responsibility of all of us to prevent the train wreck the GOP was so determined to get us into, that they seem to have been working on for years. Not that it was anew for them since Nixon's pure criminality and Reagan trained circus seal act. Ugh, it's all so depressing...

Hey, good meme picture there. DId you make that one?

[Nihil]

27. Not just "our minds" ...

> And then our minds got wiped by the WTC attack and the rest is history
> which can't be re-written.

One of the "coincidence" factors that always strikes home involves the amount
of evidence (physical + witness) that was destroyed that day ... financial records
(and people) in the Pentagon, certain trades & traders, certain ex-security agency
personnel, records in certain offices in the WTC buildings that were "lost" ...
especially when considering the "about to break" news even up to September 10th.

There is absolutely no need to invoke any way-out theories to make the events
of that day suspicious.

[pacalo]

28. I found them on google when I was looking to pinpoint where the shredding truck

actually reported.

That adminstration was so obviously crooked, I was literally on the edge of my seat every day waiting for the last shoe to drop.

I truly think we had an angel on our shoulder when Blair made the decision to drag Great Britain into the Iraq scheme. Their citizenry saw it for what it was & their media wasn't as stifled about getting the facts out.

And I'm thankful that they were wise enough to put a stop to Rupert Murdoch's way of doing business; it seems Murdoch's goal was to control their country's media, too. I'm hoping that, by the time they're finished with Murdoch's case, the results will have lessened Murdoch's standing in our country as well. We can hope.

[freshwest]

29. Yes, we owe the Brits for teaching us, altnough they got dragged into it, too.

[dipsydoodle]

6. K & R

[LiberalFighter]

7. Oh Oh! Bush better secure himself in Cheney's bunker.

They will be coming to get them both.

[babylonsister]

8. Yummy! Rec'd!! nt

[harun]

9. This is very important. It will make future leaders the U.S. is lobbying to support various

wars think twice about supporting their Imperialism.

[hifiguy]

10. Some worms are going to get uncanned, here.

And it won't bode well for the Chimp or the Poodle.

About freaking time!!

[Gregorian]

11. Hi Tony, W here. How'd you like a billion dollars? Simple cooperation is all we ask in return.

Maybe it won't take 30 years this time.

[Canuckistanian]

19. Bush: "My donors tell me they want war"

Blair: "Cut me in and it's a deal"

[DavidDvorkin]

12. "[T]he circumstances surrounding a decision by a UK government to go to war with another country

is always likely to be of very significant public interest"

I like that view of the public interest.

[Uncle Joe]

13. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Hissyspit.

[malthaussen]

14. Dang, wouldn't you know it? BOTH tape recorders were out for repair that day...

What a coincindence!

-- Mal

[LiberalLovinLug]

15. In BushCo.s desparate attempt to find a loyal doggy to help legitimize the illegal invasion

He overlooked that his adopted poodle was from another house and one day the people in that house may want to find out what it had been up to.



But I'm still very leary that this info will ever see the light of day. The long arm of Washington and the even longer leash has already squashed Spain's attempt to try Cheney and Bush for War Crimes. And Britain has a Conservative government and the Opposition is none other than Blair's Labour party.

[gratuitous]

16. Oh, just lookin' backwards to the past

Here in the United Fucking States of By God America, we're all about lookin' forward to the future! No need to agonize over the errors of the past (if errors they were, and if you never examine it, then you can't say it for sure). That's for losers, that is. We're moving forward, Forward, FORWARD, baby, and that's how the UFSBGA works its magic as the beacon of liberty and freedom for everyone around the world.

[Horse with no Name]

17. Expect more suicides

But this is great news for the truth! I always dreamed that if we didn't take care of our own war criminals ala Germany...the world would take care of them for us.

Let's hope.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. I want to hear this!

[Blue Owl]

20. Shock & awe, fish & chips, cock & balls, etc...

Somehow I doubt the public will be treated to the whole story...

[Hubert Flottz]

21. I'd love to see or hear that information!

Last edited Wed May 23, 2012, 12:53 AM - Edit history (1)

I pray that some day Bush and Cheney will pay for the evil shit they've done. Tony too!

[invictus]

22. K&R

[yurbud]

23. by even debating this, they are exposing how corrupt and beholden to the wealthy our pols are