Guardian Utd (Wednesday): Powell rows back on doubts over invasion

[Jack Rabbit]

From the Guardian Unlimited (UK)
Dated Wednesday February 4

Powell rows back on doubts over invasion
'Absence of stockpile changes the answer'
By Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington

The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, yesterday revealed the first cracks of doubt from within the Bush administration about the decision to go to war against Iraq, acknowledging he might not have supported an invasion had he known Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Powell's admission that the "absence of a stockpile changes the political calculus" was the first public sign that the Bush administration may be having second thoughts on its decision to wage war.
However, the comments, made to the Washington Post yesterday, seem to be a momentary lapse from Mr Powell's enduring belief that it was right to go to war. He maintained that Saddam had continued to pose a danger to the world - even without an active arsenal.
He tried to minimise the political fallout from his comments by telling reporters yesterday: "There should be no doubt that we have done the right thing and history certainly will be the test of that."
But Mr Powell's protestations are unlikely to distract attention from a most astonishing admission, especially during an election year.

Read more.

[jmatthan]

1. Please support the stand of the Liberal Democrats

It is most important that as many as possible of you stand behind Charles Kennedy, the leader of the UK Liberal Democrats, who has refused to accept this second attempt at a Whitewash by Tony Blair. The Conservatives have got onto the Blair bandwagon as they "supported" the invasion!!

http://www.libdems.org.uk/index.cfm/page.homepage/section.home/article.6009

Liberal Democrats will not participate in Butler inquiry, says Kennedy
03/02/2004

This is the message I sent him through the Liberal Democrats website:

"I stand by your correct decision not to take part with another whitewash enquiry being organised by Tony Blair.

I will ensure that your stand is widely aired in the circles that I normally communicate with.

There should be nothing less than a full enquiry about why the world was taken into a pre-emptive invasion without any justification whatsoever.

May I recall the Statement by Justice Jackson on War Trials Agreement; August 12, 1945:

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/imt/jack02.htm

"We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost the war, but that they started it. And we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into a trial of the causes of the war, for our position is that no grievances or policies will justify resort to aggressive war. It is utterly renounced and condemned as an instrument of policy."

Till then the British Government and the British soldiers carrying out their illegal actions will remain condemned in our minds."

Jacob Matthan
Oulu, Finland

[Voltaire99]

2. Great post and message, Jacob (n/t)