You know, after watching that BBC documentary yesterday, I get the eerie

[Liberal In Texas]

feeling that Blair was somehow strong-armed by Bushco. Not just pressured, but like maybe thay "had" something on him. As in maybe they blackmailed him?

Perhaps the PM has a skeleton in his closet that a bit of covert CIA research turned up. Who knows? :shrug:

I can't imagine why the guy would slavishly follow along ignoring the best interests of his country and half the British population's opposition.

Plus, he had to have been seriously rationalizing to himself, knowing there was no good or legal reason for the war.

We know Bushco had ulterior motives (ego, oil, grabbing reconstruction money, getting to war before the campaign revved up, nation building, etc.), but did Blair?

Anybody else have this feeling after watching the show?



To see the BBC "Panorama" show (1 hour):

http://www.overcast.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/warofterror/iraqtonytruth.htm

[marmar]

1. And Blair has gotten nothing...

from this deal. His popularity is in the outhouse, he's cost his party 100 seats in parliament, he could only get a teeny portion of the aid he wanted for Africa, he's getting no cooperation on the Kyoto treaty, and not even a promise for more multilateral decision-making. If the Bush-Blair relationship was a marriage, someone would have called the police and put him in a battered spouse shelter by now!

[Liberal In Texas]

4. Yes, that the other curious thing. There is no quid pro quo.

The UK really gets nothing out of supporting the US.

Perhaps Blair is going to find himself in a nice Halliburton position some day, but that would hardly be enough reason to take the country to war.

[scarletlib]

8. he won't even get that teeny amount of money bush

supposedly said the US would give. I think it's a lie. bushco could care less about Africa and anyone in it.

[Liberal In Texas]

10. Bush does have a history of promising funds and then only delivering

a small portion. If any mention is made of it, it's been long forgotten as the next "crisis" is on everyones mind.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

2. I've always thought he was being blackmailed. He's not stupid

but I bet they know something about him

[Richard D]

12. Gannon?

. . . and hidden cameras???

[Liberal In Texas]

14. I wouldn't put it past them. n/t

[Just Me]

3. I am in no mood to explain or excuse weaknesses of those,...

,...who have more power of influence than the vast majority of humanity which SUFFERS at the hands of those who have more power.

Strength of character SHOULD BE MOST DEMANDED of those who hold power over the lives of others. PERIOD!!!!

[Liberal In Texas]

5. Amen...n/t

[dchill]

6. Blair was in it...

for the reconstruction contracts and the oil. Now he's just waiting to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor...

http://www.thecarlylegroup.com/eng/news/l5-news716.html

It's all the same with all these crooks - greed dressed up in a flag and blamed on trumped-up terrorism.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

7. I can't imagine why the guy would slavishly follow along

Check it for validity... and I hate to do Tony this way.... but have at it..... seems real enough.


http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=7989

To the Victors Go the Spoils of War
British Petroleum, Shell and Chevron Win Iraqi Oil Contracts
by Pratap Chatterjee and Oula Al Farawati, CorpWatch
August 8th, 2003

In the hours and days before the United States and Britain invaded Iraq, a team of British Petroleum (BP) engineers in Kuwait taught combat troops from the 516 Specialist Team Royal Engineers how to run the oil fields in southern Iraq. As soon as the troops had secured southern Iraq, Robert Spears, a Scottish manager from BP, was drafted by the British government to help direct the effort to rebuild the refineries.

In mid-July BP took possession of its reward -- one of the first tankers of oil from Southern Iraq, having won 25% of the initial sale of 8 million barrels of the existing stockpiles of Iraqi oil. The previous month California-based Chevron shipped back an equal quantity of oil from southern Iraq.

Retired engineers from Royal Dutch/Shell Group also helped in training the troops in Nottingham, England. Once the oilfields had been seized by the invaders, company workers were drafted by the British army and sent into southern Iraq to help with the reconstruction.

[Karenina]

9. Things that make ya go hmmmm...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1532378

Carlyle appointment? Keeping up with the Majors??? :shrug:

[Bonhomme Richard]

11. Keep in mid that his allegience is to the UK and.............

a weak United States makes for a stronger UK internationally. Did France really care about this new democracy forming on the other side of the Atlantic? Of course not, but it did weaken England and that was enough. It didn't help France but thats another story.

[dbonds]

13. One word 'Anthrax'

Tony didn't want to open that piece of mail with powder coming out.