Reply #211: I agree some misjudged American opinion...

[countryjake]

but at that time, we all sat with bated breath, wondering if the rest would then see thru the lies. Considering who these guys are (and their former employer), the next paragraph, about those in this group who apparently were not in "unanimity" and didn't have such a dim view of "most Americans", makes it fairly clear from the collective experiences of their profession that some wouldn't put it past either this administration or Blair's bunch to consider planting "something" to be a "necessary" action in the grand scheme. I, too, would love to hear what they're thinking now! It'd be interesting to see their take on your well-thought out analysis.

From the article:
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0425-11.htm

~another snip~


"Others, taken aback by the in the in-your-face attitude with which Secretary of State Colin Powell reacted both to the exposure of the Niger forgery and to the requiem for the argument from aluminum rods, see in that attitude a sign that the Bush administration would not necessarily let the risk of disclosure deter it from planting weapons. They also point to the predicament facing the Blair government in Great Britain and other coalition partners, if no such weapons are found in Iraq. They note that the press in the UK has been more independent and vigilant than its US counterpart, and thus the British people are generally better informed and more skeptical of their government than US citizens tend to be.

While the odds of such planting seem less than even, speculation on the possibility drove us down memory lane. Likely or not in present circumstances, there is ample precedent for such covert action operations. VIPS member David MacMichael authored this short case-study paper to throw light on this little known subject. What leaps out of his review is a reminder that, were the Bush administration to decide in favor of a planting or similar operation, it would not have to start from scratch as far as experience is concerned. Moreover, many of the historical examples that follow bear an uncanny resemblance to factors and circumstances in play today."