Newly-leaked document "even more damning" than DSM

[ailsagirl]

sfgate.com
Edward M. Gomez
June 14, 2005

Is it a second Downing Street Memo -- or something even more damning for both the Bush administration and the government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair?

On May 1, Britain's Sunday Times broke the story of the now-infamous Downing Street Memo; that document, the minutes of a meeting of Blair's top advisers, showed that the prime minister had known, some eight months before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, that a war not authorized by the United Nations would be illegal for British troops to take part in. Now The Times has scooped its rivals again with the news -- and the text of -- a leaked, extremely secret British Cabinet Office briefing paper dated July 23, 2002.

Prepared for Blair and his closest advisers, this newly discovered document clearly states that "since regime change was illegal, it was 'necessary to create the conditions' which would make it legal."

The Times' news story, written by defense reporter Michael Smith, about the newly discovered, secret briefing paper noted that it had confirmed that Blair "had already agreed to back military action to get rid of Saddam Hussein at a summit at the Texas ranch of President George W. Bush three months earlier." In his news article, Smith explained that fabricating conditions for going to war "was required because, even if ministers decided Britain should not take part in an invasion, the American military would be using British bases. This would automatically make Britain complicit in any illegal U.S. action."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2005/06/14/worldviews.DTL

[Last Lemming]

1. Smoking cannon here

[Last Lemming]

2. Let me add

Oh my God--is this anywhere else but the SF paper

[ailsagirl]

5. Yes... in yesterday's Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2005/06/13/BL2005061300982.html

[central scrutinizer]

9. yes, it is all over DU from various sources

Even NBC has authenticated this memo and about five others that help flesh out the original DSM and names names of some of the primary actors.

[norml]

3. Bye Bye Bliar! Look Out Dubya!

History will judge them harshly.

[TalkingDog]

4. Bwahahahahahahaha...ha! n/t

[ElectroPrincess]

6. Excellent! Let's help the Brits drive it home?

[MichiganVote]

7. Bombshell. We're coming for you Bush/Cheney!

[Sequoia]

8. Most likely

[gordianot]

10. Tony has some enemies.

Notice the constant barrage, is he being sent a message? At what point does he resign as Prime Minister?

Thank God for Great Britain and the free British press. At one time the United States had an independent press and media news.

[ailsagirl]

11. The barrage is constant and, I believe, it's picking up steam.

Let's see you laugh that one off, you moron Chimp

[0007]

12. junior is in a world of hurt and doesn't know it.

The emperors of China and Rome punished any expression that displeased them. Whether it was dissent, unpleasant news, or a portrait that disgusted them, they were ready to destroy the perpetrators without hesitation.

Today, there are democracies but no less a tendency to punish dissent, manipulate information, or castigate artists. Those in Power should be careful: Push the people too far, and they will rebel.

[AtTheEndOfTheDay]

13. I hope the consensus

found here, that finally something may happen in the way of accountability because of this, is true. We've been disappointed over and over always thinking someone's revelations or book or outing will have the effect of slowing these bastards. Nothing has stuck yet. I'm feeling like a Missourian. Show me.

[ailsagirl]

16. It's true-- we have seen story after story disappear

But this is, by far, the most damning story-- one that involves the deaths of thousands of people (hundreds of thousands, really)-- how can that be glossed over?

If they manage to, folks, we're really in trouble.
:hide:

[Babel_17]

14. co-conspirators

If Bush's partner is forced to resign over this, and it amounts to being an issue of morality though British law is involved, it will be nigh on impossible for our MSM to not view this as a full blown scandal for Bush's administration.

It won't be everything we're hoping for by any means. There will be massive counter-spin and denial and their apologists will attempt to discount Blair's problem as one deriving from arcane British law.

But imo a a large breach in the wall of lies around Bush's administration will have been achieved. Attempts to restore honesty and integrity to american gov't should have an easier time of it.

[dissent1977]

15. Recommended

I hope everyone else who reads this recommends it as well, this is important and we need to make sure people see it.

[rateyes]

17. I guess we now know what

"FIXING" really means in Britain--"doing what is necessary to create the conditions."

[ailsagirl]

18. Exactly... it has a different meaning there than here

Here, it means repair; there it means they switched things around to create a desired effect... a type of forgery, for sure.

Let's hope that three-letter word isn't going to undermine the enormity and truthfulness of the evidence.

[CJCRANE]

20. It has

the same meanings on both sides of the Atlantic, depending on the context.

on edit: I have a degree in English Literature (which also includes American Literature in the curriculum) from an English university, and IMHO the use of the word "fix" has exactly the same meaning that it appears to have. In this context it doesn't mean "repaired", "bolted on", "corroborated" etc.

Also, note that the British press are not even interested in the meaning of "fixed", they are taking it for granted that it is the negative meaning that applies in this case.

[CivilityDied]

21. Personal Grudge Match

An editorial on CBSNEWS.com asked "why did we go to war" given the fact that this memo clearly states the Bush policy was a ruse.

I believe the answer, in part, lies within the memo, and is the part that has the most traction. The reason in part may be due to a "personal grudge between Bush and Houssien...as well as unfinished business from 1991." He tried to kill GHWB, but the damning portion is that Bush would allow his personal "grudge" to drive a country into war. I wonder why the Brits felt this way, and given the fact that so many people have taken heat for saying this, what is the reaction of the Bush administration to such a charactarization by our erstwhile ally?

[adnelson60087]

19. Darth Sidious Says a very similar line

to the "make it legal" line in The Phantom Menace. Could another dark empire be ready to fall??