Newsweek: Secrets Of The Allies (DSM)

[leftchick]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8272787/site/newsweek/

~snip~


A cache of secret British government memos, obtained by British journalist Michael Smith and recently spread around the Internet, depict the quiet diplomatic struggle between the two governments leading up to the war. In them, senior Blair aides expressed early concerns that Bush's blueprint for the Iraq invasion was hastily conceived, overly optimistic and legally shaky. British officials won't comment on the content of the memos. But they haven't disputed their authenticity, and some may be glad they leaked: for the most part, the memos show that the Brits were presciently worried about what could go wrong in the war and its aftermath.

One of the papers, the "Downing Street Memo," has caused the biggest stir. The memo is the minutes of a July 23, 2002, meeting between Blair and top advisers. In it, Richard Dearlove, head of the British foreign-intelligence service M.I.6, reported on a trip to Washington. "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route... There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath..." Antiwar activists have seized on the memo as a smoking gun, saying it proves Bush cooked intel—and that he had already decided to attack Iraq at the same time he was insisting he would use force only as a last resort.

~snip~


But by summer 2002, some in Blair's inner circle had concluded Bush was beyond British influence. A July 21 paper recounts that, during a spring meeting with Bush at the president's Crawford ranch, Blair had told the president he would "support military action to bring about regime change, provided that certain conditions were met." Blair wanted Bush to make a serious effort to "construct a coalition" and "exhaust" the efforts of U.N. weapons inspectors. The Brits no longer believed Bush would meet those conditions, however: "... we face the real danger that the US will commit themselves to a course of action which we would find very difficult to support," the paper says.

~snip~

Even so, Blair stuck close to Bush. The Brits held out hope that they would play a larger role in rebuilding Iraq. Instead, they found themselves marginalized, with top posts in Baghdad going to Bush loyalists instead of British hands with years of field experience. Some British officials privately believe they are still regarded as junior partners—nice to have around, as long as they keep their mouths shut.

[UpInArms]

1. I am continually infuriated by this "must add" line to every

MSM article regarding these very serious documents:

Antiwar activists have seized on the memo as a smoking gun, saying it proves Bush cooked intel—and that he had already decided to attack Iraq at the same time he was insisting he would use force only as a last resort.

Being castigated because we knew that the POS was LYING?

Anyone else is a fool and needs to become aware that they, too, were LIED to and get as angry (if not more so) than we are.

:argh:

[Applan]

10. Me too, I find it especially infuriating because...

....this is not just about being anti-war. It's about finding the TRUTH. It's about exposing corruption at the highest levels of government.

[otohara]

16. The "Pro-War" Activists

I've never seen "pro-war" used in newspapers, instead it's "those who approve of this war" or "American's who approve"

[merwin]

11. The statement itself is true though. Anti-war activists are the ones

that are pushing the memo and saying it proves that he lied. I don't see anything wrong with that.

[FredStembottom]

15. I think "anti-war activists" means bearded-hippie-pacifists......

-stuck-in-the-60's to most people. We have been trained to respond to that phrase in that way. The activist part implies on-going, unthinking, knee-jerk reaction to any and all wars that allows the reader to think "oh...THAT tiresome bunch! They wouldn't have even been in favor of fighting WWII!"

That's why it is always used exactly that way. "Anti-war activists".

You'll never see alternatives like "those who opposed the war before it began" / "those who warned of dire consequences before the war" / "some of the 6 million who marched against the war before it began" / "those who have been asking for clarification about the administration's motives since before the war" etc. etc.

NOPE! It's those goof-ball, Grateful Dead followin', sea-weed eatin', peace-nik, knee-jerk anti-war activists. Peskier than mosquitos!

[Amonester]

17. I take two showers every day of the week!

Yes. I am cleaner than clean! How'd that make me peskier than mosquitos??

Plus, I ain't a Greateful Dead followin', sea-weed eatin', peace-nik, knee-jerk anti-war activist. Yeah, I'm proud to be an anti-war criminal, pro-peace activist!!

:shrug:


P.S.: (Alright, alright... I know you didn't really mean to insult me) ;)

[CoffeeCat]

2. The Brits were totally used...

At least some of them are smart enough to understand that they were used by the US. Now, one (or more) of them is disgusted by our actions, and is releasing the Downing Street Memos.

It's about time.

What kills me--is BushCo's arrogance. We rely on British involvement and public support--but we relegate them to water boys after being promised some time on the field.

We are so shameless. So arrogant.

It's a wonder the Downing Street Memos were revealed. No one can shit all over the world like that--and keep everyone in line.

The BushCo house of cards is falling down--because it was built by powermongering, evil, amoral jerks who view the world as their playground to exploit, pillage and dominate.

[sundancekid]

4. yes, the buskeviks use the kleenex theory of foreign relations:: you

lure them to stack your own messy snot into a "legitimate piece of paper" and then you throw them away.

[Fluffdaddy]

5. The Brits was played Big-Time. I wonder if Blair deep inside

Knows this.

~snip~
The Brits held out hope that they would play a larger role in rebuilding Iraq. Instead, they found themselves marginalized, with top posts in Baghdad going to Bush loyalists instead of British hands with years of field experience. Some British officials privately believe they are still regarded as junior partners—nice to have around, as long as they keep their mouths shut.


Yep, Played BIG-TIME

[symbolman]

3. This time

Deep Throat has a British accent :)

[Coexist]

6. bullshit / spin alert!!!

<snip>
"Bush's team may have decided early on that Saddam had WMD stockpiles, but the Brits thought so, too"

nothing in those documents suggests that - that is pure conjecture made to make this less damaging.

[leftchick]

7. exactly

they are Still spinning this shit for him. May the corporate whores go down in flames with the BFEE.

[Daphne08]

8. For those who haven't seen and heard the 'Instantly Orphaned'

photo-essay, you might wish to do so.

It's on the same page as the above story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8272787/site/newsweek

Scroll Down (about halfway down the page) until you see:

PhotoGallery with Audio "Instantly Orphaned" (There's a photo of a pair of army boots on a blood-spattered floor.)


I'll never forget it. :cry: All involved are casualties of war.

[0007]

12. Thanks, I completely overlooked that site.

[Kittycat]

9. Who can we email about this "anti-war" claim???

I'm not anti-war - I'm anti-lying about reasons to go to war. War is there for a very specific reason, and shouldn't be abused. If they want to send our troops after Osama - bring it on, let's go I say... But this nonsense in Iraq is out of control!

Who can I send a note to at Newsweek (email addy) to just speak my peace on that claim of "anti-war protesters".

[UpInArms]

13. contact info here:

Contact Us

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[Overseas]

14. "Spread around the internet" galls me

Makes our last refuge for full news reporting sound sleazy somehow.
If the mass media were not the Corporate Media, the Downing Street Minutes would have been headlining news stories for months now !!

[DrZeeLit]

18. Anything out of Newsweek will be suspect for a LONG time... because

despite being CORRECT (as PentaGone documents noted eventually) about the desecration of the Koran, Newsweek is still kissing *'s ass and walking that oh-so-virutally-thin line between shill for the RW and printing no news whatsoever.

Sheesh.

[Supersedeas]

19. Does junior partners = poodle partners?