Blair rejects estimate of 655,000 Iraqi deaths

[sabra]

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1513262006

Blair rejects estimate of 655,000 Iraqi deaths

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair's office rejected as inaccurate on Thursday a study that found about 655,000 Iraqis had died due to the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion and later violence.

"The ... figure is an order of magnitude higher than any other figure. It's not one we believe to be anywhere near accurate and that is not in any way to downplay the seriousness of the security situation in Iraq," Blair's spokesman said.

...

"The problem with this is they're using an extrapolation technique from a relatively small sample from an area of Iraq which isn't representative of the country as a whole," Blair's spokesman said.

"We have questioned that technique right from the beginning and we continue to do so," he added.

...

Blair's spokesman said deaths in Iraq were mainly being caused by "terrorists", not by the Iraqi government or foreign forces there. He declined to give any British estimate of Iraqi deaths, saying it was an issue for the Iraqi government.

[Greeby]

1. If a report came out saying the sky is blue, Tony would deny it

I'll be glad to be rid of this psycho

[MikeNearMcChord]

2. Tony, Tony Tony, I know you are kind've horny

But there something about The Bush ain't right- George Michael, Shoot The Dog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crhbT-OLcQg

[LynnTheDem]

3. So bLiar knows better than MIT, John Hopkins, and Britain's own

The Lancet, the world's premiere medical journal.

Just like bLiar knew better than the vast majority of the entire world including his own citizens on Hussein's "wmd".

And bLiar was just so absolutely correct about them "wmd".



"reject" all you like, bLiar. I'll believe MIT, JHU, and The Lancet over anything you spew.

[Benhurst]

4. Breaking News: Nazi General rejects death camp estimates.

Jeez! The man has no shame. Time to flush the war criminal.

[ddeclue]

5. Iraq body count says at least 43850...

Why does it have to reach into 6 digits anyways for us to think it's terrible?

43,850 (at the very least) Iraqis have died for Bush's lies.

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[GoddessOfGuinness]

23. Maybe the report was fabricated by the thugs...

Oh, thank goodness only 43,850 innocent men women and children have died! Whew!

[gratuitous]

6. So what's your government's count, Tony?

Oooh, listen! Crickets.

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. Yes, Tony. You just let the cat out of the bag.

You just said that you have bodycount figures. Dish.

[jobycom]

8. He could be right. What if it's half that? A quarter? Does that make

the invasion right?

Every death in Iraq beyond the normal mortality rate is a murder of an innocent person. Whether the weapon was our troops, "insurgents," terrorists, or attrition due to the destruction of the infrastructure, Bush is the murderer, Blair the accomplice.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Compare it with the murder rate in South Africa

a country not at war. They had 18,528 murders in one year (less than the year before) - which, given the relative populations, would be about 10,000 per year in Iraq. I think people would agree that Iraq is now a far more dangerous place than South Africa, so you would indeed expect the violent deaths over 3 and a half years, including a 'shock and awe' invasion, and the bloody put-down of a rebellion in Fallujah, to be far in excess of the 35,000 that would be the equivalent of the South African figure. That South African figure is also murders - they're not at war, so that's a figure of people who were actually targetted. In Iraq, there are many bystanders who die violent deaths because the fighting is fairly indiscriminate. I can't see it being less than 100,000, and 600,000 seems believable.

[endarkenment]

10. Conflict of interest?

Sleep well Tony.

[rock]

11. Well, he is a scientist with a very deep understanding

of statistics. (BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I slay me.)

[gauguin57]

12. "Arf" says Sandy ...

[KansDem]

13. "Did I say the right thing, George? Huh? Did I say the right thing?"

Huh? Huh? Did I say the right thing...???"

[Bob3]

14. it's not true becasue I don't want it to be true it makes me look bad

he really doesn't have much to say beyond that.

[Megahurtz]

22. That's About It.

Same reason it's denied here.

[classysassy]

15. "the bloody brit"

or some would say bloody bastard,is just following the order of his bloody buddy bush.

[Rambis]

16. Shut up bush puppet!

get out of office and stay out!

[Solly Mack]

17. Both Bush & Blair want to start a fire then blame the smoke for any deaths

Their "logic" is -

If the people in the fire didn't burn to death, then the people didn't die by fire.

[Vidar]

18. The poodle yelps.

[damntexdem]

19. I'm sorry, but that reality is just not an acceptable one.

Britain will join the U.S. in prefering to live in a nicer fantasy world.

[adamuu]

20. Thats such a funny headline

Blair rejects estimate of 655,000 Iraqi deaths
yeah... there's a reliable source.

[LeftishBrit]

21. I wouldn't believe a word that comes out of his mouth

And in any case, what sort of an excuse would it be?If someone is accused of murdering 100 people, is it a great excuse to say, "No, I think it was only about 50 people"?

[stepnw1f]

24. That's Because Mr. Blair, You are RESPONSIBLE

you are a war criminal.....

[daleo]

25. The study's methodology is better than the alternatives

Which are just body counts based on media reports. Clearly, that will not be representative of the true scale of deaths. They don't have anything better to smear it with, so they just criticize its face validity (which amounts to saying "that doesn't seem right to me").

[Rex]

26. Tony you're swimming in a pool of blood with Bush!

Blood on your hands Tony? No, rivers of blood engulf you. Fucking war criminal Tony. I hope the UK puts his ass on trial along with Bush and Cheney and Rummy!

[struggle4progress]

27. Gotta wonder what the dead Iraqis think of Blair