From Downing Street...6 More Memos.
Six new British memos have been released, This post will cite two of them...This memorandum, written by Blair political director Peter Ricketts and dated Mar. 22, 2002, indicates the challenges an Iraq war would face.
The truth is that what has changed is not the pace of Saddam Hussein’s WMD programmes, but our tolerance of them post-11 September.
It gets worse...
The second problem is the END STATE. Military operations need clear and compelling military objectives. For Kosovo it was: Serbs out, Kosovars back peace-keepers in. For Afghanistan, destroying the Taleban and Al Qaida military capability. For Iraq, “regime change” does not stack up. It sounds like a grudge between Bush and Saddam. Much better, as you have suggested, to make the objective ending the threat to the international community from Iraq WMD before Saddam uses it or gives it to terrorists. This is at once easier to justify in terms of international law but also more demanding.
So it was Blair who suggested to Bush that he should use the WMD angle and keep us in a constant state of fear. I never bought into Cheney's mushroom cloud scenarios but it made America afraid. Keeping the country in fear was a way for Bush to get a blank check for whatever he wanted.
Another document released, written by Blair foreign policy advisor David Manning, the following document asserts now-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was committed to "regime change" as early as March 2002. It also outlines problems a postwar Iraq might face ("will they be willing to take the sort of casualties that the Republican Guard may inflict on them if it turns out to be an urban war?"); and indicates how seriously the British cabinet took New Yorker journalist Seymour Hersh.
Condi’s enthusiasm for regime change is undimmed. But there were some signs, since we last spoke, of greater awareness of the practical difficulties and political risks. (See the attached piece by Seymour Hersh which Christopher Meyer (Cabinet member, British Parlaiment) says gives a pretty accurate picture of the uncertain state of the debate in Washington.)
From what she said, Bush has yet to find the answers to the big questions:
how to persuade international opinion that military action against Iraq is necessary and justified;
what value to put on the exiled Iraqi opposition;
how to coordinate a US/allied military campaign with internal opposition (assuming there is any);
what happens on the morning after?
It is too bad the Brits were concerned for Hersh's accuracy but America blew him off. Guess this mention somewhat vindicates him and his reporting. You go, Seymour...
After reading all of the other four documents released, I will add them to this blog as well. America is being bombarded with evidence now. The Bush administration was PLANNING the invasion of Iraq for more than a year before the actual event. Any and all speculation that this was the case is now proven. Most of that year he was telling all of us that he had no plans to use force...more proof that he did, in fact lie to the American people and Congress.
It is also a proven fact that the excuses Bush made for invading Iraq were purposely fabricated in order for Bush's goal of regime change to be carried out.
For all the blood spilled, for all the lives lost, for the sake of two countries...Iraq and America...that have been devastated by an unprincipled,immoral, war mongering and greedy administration, it is past time. Impeachment and charges for war crimes are past due.
It is time to pay the bill, George.
posted by Myst @ 9:52 PM
1 Comments:
Yes I agree it is time - hopefully he will pay it not some future pres.
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