Iraq war started too early

[evermind]

Iraq war started too early

Attacks preceded congressional OK
Paul Rogat Loeb
Sunday, June 19, 2005
San Francisco Chronicle

--snip--

Charlie Clements, now head of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, described driving in Iraq months before the war. "A building would just explode, hit by a missile from 30,000 feet." "What is that building?" Clements would ask. "Oh, that's a telephone exchange," he was told.

Later, at Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base, Clements heard a U.S. general boast "that he began taking out assets that could help in resisting an invasion at least six months before war was declared."

Earlier this month, Jeremy Scahill wrote a powerful piece on the Web site of the Nation, describing a huge air assault in September 2002. "Approximately 100 U.S. and British planes flew from Kuwait into Iraqi airspace," Scahill writes.

"At least seven types of aircraft were part of this massive operation, including U.S. F-15 Strike Eagles and Royal Air Force Tornado ground-attack planes. They dropped precision-guided munitions on Saddam Hussein's major western air-defense facility, clearing the path for Special Forces helicopters that lay in wait in Jordan.

--snip--

Continues at link.

[Hissyspit]

1. Um, Iraq War shouldn't have started at all?

Good that the illegal fait accompli story is getting out, though.

[ewagner]

2. I hope this gets some traction

I saw it for the first time on Friday and posted links and snips but it died very quickly...saw it again over the weekend and again it died.

IMO this is an important link because it shows:

1. Bush was determined to go to war and the Downing Street Minutes are correct
2. Bush acted illegally to start the war by provoking Saddam to respond.
3. Bush* used military funds designated for Afghanistan to start this illegal war....

[evermind]

4. Yeah. Charlie Clements' story about the telephone exchange is the only

report I've seen which definitely alleges civilian targets being hit in Sept 2002 - though it's a reasonable suspicion, given the scenario of a "pre-war" elimination of national infrastructure, that many were.

Perhaps Conyers should be getting in touch with Mr Clements for his further hearings..

[NorCalDem]

3. And they wonder why

it is that we haven't been able to win "hearts and minds." Well maybe it has something to do with the fact that innocent people were dying in huge numbers not only after the war began, but before as well. Stupid F*cking bush