Dead Scientist Probe Snares UK's Blair

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030814/wl_nm/iraq_britain_scientist_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's defense secretary rejected advice that he shield Iraq (news - web sites) weapons expert David Kelly from a hostile public grilling just days before he committed suicide, an inquiry into his death revealed on Thursday.

Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) also became personally involved in discussions about how to deal with the scientist, as suspicion grew that Kelly was the source of a BBC report accusing Blair of exaggerating Iraq's weapons threat.

The revelations will pile more pressure on the government and Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon in particular. He has yet to answer tough questions over how the quiet scientist was thrust into the public glare.

The inquiry under judge Lord Hutton is also a key test for Blair. His public trust ratings have plunged over the failure to find banned weapons in Iraq and the handling of Kelly's death.

The threat from biological and chemical weapons was the main reason London gave for waging a war most Britons opposed.

motr

[ewagner]

1. bye, bye Tony

hope you and Dubya enjoy a quiet retirement!

[Robin Hood]

2. You're too nice.

I hope that they enjoy the pits of hell, because that's where they're going.

[ewagner]

3. Patience

Patience, it will come for them soon enough! I'd rather have them suffer the humiliation and torment of being condemned by their fellow countrymen for a long, long time before they go to their final reward.

[TacticalPeek]

6. Agree 100%...a quick end is way too merciful to them.

But I'm afraid there is at least a small chance that TPTB will resignate aWol's ass in the next few months.

In the meanytime, their sleep and conscious states should be a growing cascade of torture, torment and pain.

[bobthedrummer]

5. Hey, fellow Badger-

I concur!:hi:
Except * should enjoy a Halliburton Corrections facility retirement for 30 years, IMHO.

[jamesinca]

4. But will this cross the big pond

If Blair goes out because of a lie, will it effect the U.S.? Will this even get air time in the U.S.? I am sure it will get on the 11:00p.m. world news, but just how will it be presented? If they really dig into the story it would implicate Bush and his administration, otherwise it would be a footnote and never really get legs here. I guess my biggest question is this, would congress do anything if Blair was put out of office for lies and stories?

[NNN0LHI]

7. It will make the news here if the new PM...

...begins removing British troops from Iraq.

Don

[Jackpine Radical]

8. If the Brits pull out, does that mean

that we'll be eating Freedom Muffins for breakfast? Putting Freedom on the cue ball in pool? switching to Freedom as our official language?

[xxqqqzme]

9. by george, I think you got

it!

[AP]

11. If the Brits pull out, the US will have the European economy

by the short hairs for the next 50 years. The US doesn't want to compete with the EU, so they'll try to sabotage it instead. That's a big reason the US is trying to fuck up the ME right now.

[Capt_Nemo]

16. No, because we the US debt to Europe is astronomical

And because without the flow of European investment to the US, debt and budget deficit
would make the US economy colapse

[NNN0LHI]

10. Blair personally ordered investigation into Kelly

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?reportID=562588&storyID=3518253

British Prime Minister Tony Blair became enmeshed in the inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly on Thursday as it was revealed how the hunt to discover whether the scientist was the source of the "sexed up " dossier claim reached the highest levels of the Government.

In a day of extraordinary evidence the Inquiry heard that the Prime Minister had personally ordered the intelligence services to escalate the investigation into the scientist who had been assured the matter was closed after an official interview.

It was also revealed that Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon had ignored the advice of his most senior civil servant and exposed Dr David Kelly to public questioning by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee after consulting Downing Street.

With pressure mounting over the failure to find Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, there were frantic efforts in Whitehall to track down the mole who had told BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan that Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister's director of communications, had manipulated last September's dossier.

more

[revcarol]

12. The journalist was right:

blood on Blair's hands.

[tlb]

13. A govt employee leaks classified materials to the press,

the press distorts his leaks to manufacture a false story so highly damaging to the govt that it is nealry toppled, and its Blair who is in the wrong to order an investigation ? It may be fun to type "Bye Bye Tony", but it's harldy reasonable or probable on this basis at least. ANY kind of government in any nation will think it prudent to determine who of their people is spreading apparetnly damaging and false "insider " news to the press.

Kelly had spoken to enough journalists to draw the light onto himself prior to any leaks from the govt. Telling the press what it already knew is nonsensical as a device to blame Blair for Kelly's suicide. BBC embellishment of the story told by Kelly making him appear a fool or a liar, is another matter.

[Briar]

14. The story was true - the government lied

The BBC's story (or rather its three stories, and many other stories in the press) has now been amply proved to be true. They did not embellish it (as the government embellished the dossier). They did not lie (as the government lied). They reported what Kelly was saying. If you think he was a fool and liar, say so, don't engage in this Campbell-type game of passing the blame to the messenger.

[T_i_B]

18. The spin is now changing

remember the "Walter Mitty" smear? Well there are a few articles suggesting pretty much what Blair's press secretary was suggesting to journalists before Kelly was even buried! Now it has been established that Kelly did reveal concerns that intelligence was being spun the spin doctors of Blair are trying to point the blame elsewhere. Anywhere in fact exept the government, for "new" labour can never be wrong as we all know. :eyes:

I'll admit that the story in question was badly reported but even then it is quite apparent that the case for war was fabricated by Blair in order to allow him to appease Bush. :grr: Kelly's story was not the only evidence that the threat from Iraq was hyped.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2003/08/13/do1302.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2003/08/13/ixopinion.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=123910

http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=433405

[rman]

15. BBC is not like US press

most people are well aware of that

[Capt_Nemo]

17. Wrong, tlb, it seems that BBC's story was close to the truth

The Government embellished the dossier:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/huttoninquiry/story/0,13812,1018989,00.html

Get your facts right

[farmbo]

19. "They ruin people for sport..."

...Prophetic commentary (about Washington's Republicans) by another public servant, Vince Foster, who was driven to suicide by a volitle mix of media-driven "Attack Politics".

These people deserve a special place in Hell.