Tony Blair Defends Iraq War (Dismisses Question on Downing St. Memo)

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://wcco.com/topstories/topstories_story_180091017.html

Tony Blair Defends Iraq War
Dismisses Question On So-Called Downing Street Memo


(AP) LONDON British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday defended the war in Iraq, and brushed off a new question about a government memo that suggested Washington had been determined to justify the invasion.

“I was glad that we took the action we did,” Blair told the House of Commons when asked about the so-called Downing Street memo. His comments came a day after President Bush rejected suggestions that Washington set a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and urged patience.

According to the leaked minutes of a July 23, 2002, meeting between Blair and top government officials at his Downing Street office, Sir Richard Dearlove, then chief of Britain’s intelligence service, said the White House viewed military action against Saddam Hussein as inevitable.

....

“Is it safe to assume that Sir Richard’s statement ... that the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy was an accurate assessment of the intentions and actions of the Bush administration?” Price asked.

Blair said the contents of that memo had already been covered by a high-level independent inquiry into the British government’s case for war in Iraq.
<</SNIP>>

[Stand and Fight]

1. You're wrong.

He does NOT dismiss the DSM in any of his statements in that article. Rather, he seemed to NOT once again deny the authenticity of the DSM, and back up the statements of Richard Dearlove. Case in point:

British lawmaker Adam Price asked Blair in the Commons on Wednesday whether he believed Dearlove was a reliable source of information on Iraq.

“Is it safe to assume that Sir Richard’s statement ... that the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy was an accurate assessment of the intentions and actions of the Bush administration?” Price asked.

Blair said the contents of that memo had already been covered by a high-level independent inquiry into the British government’s case for war in Iraq.

He emphasized that the 2002 meeting was before Britain and the United States sought and secured a resolution from the United Nations Security Council—a path that indicated they were not bent on military action.

He simply affirms what is in the memo and that the memo had already been covered by a "high-level independent inquiry." Hell, even if you disagree that he affirmed it, he clearly simply dodged the question and once more DID NOT deny the authenticity of the DSM.

I would suggest you change the misleading content in your title for the thread.

[sabra]

2. my bad

changed it to: "Dismisses Question on Downing St. Memo"

thanks.

[Stand and Fight]

3. No problem, friend.

Just don't want any of the FReepish under-the-bridge residents getting the wrong idea. :hug:

[sabra]

4. However some AP reports are spinning the title...

<<SNIP>>
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/breaking_news/12013829.htm

Blair defends Iraq war, dismisses memo
<</SNIP>>

Like you said, he is not dismisses the memo nor it's contents...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

5. The Old News Defense.

:eyes:

[Supersedeas]

8. already covered...leave me alone commoner

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. A lie - the memo was ignored on purpose by the inquiry

I have this in writing from Michael Mates, the Tory MP who was a member of the Butler Inquiry:

The Butler Review was about weapons of mass destruction and, although we saw various documents, we confined our report to matters related to wmd. The memo you mention was concerned with the political arguments and thus outside our remit. That is why no comment was made.

[Kagemusha]

9. Blair's such a master at the whitewashing inquiry scam.

Not that British or for that matter, any Commonwealth governments, don't play this game, but Blair is particularly brazen about it and particularly stricken with his own apparent truthfulness and trustworthiness because sham inquiries "prove" these things.