Bush medals for Iraq war allies

[Dover]

Do you suppose these medals could double as a hangmen's noose?
I hope they'll at least wear them to their trials.





George Bush is to give the highest US civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to three world leaders who have been among his closest international allies, particularly in the Iraq war.

The outgoing US president is to present the award to Tony Blair and John Howard, the former UK and Australian prime ministers, and Alvaro Uribe, the Colombian president, the White House announced on Monday.

..snip..

The president is honouring these leaders for their work to improve the lives of their citizens and for their efforts to promote democracy, human rights and peace abroad," Perino told reporters.

The Iraq conflict has so far led to the deaths of more than 4,500 personnel among US-led forces, while estimates of the number of Iraqi casualties range between 100,000 and one million.

'Disaster'

A spokesman for Tony Blair said the presidential award reflected "the true courage of the men and women of the British armed forces who, through their service and sacrifice, have safeguarded freedom, democracy and human rights around the globe".


But the Liberal Democrats, the UK's third largest party which opposed the Iraq war, criticised the award.

"Tony Blair should be spending next week helping to fix the mess in Gaza, not receiving an award for the biggest foreign policy disaster in recent history and his silence over Guantanamo Bay," Edward Davey, the party's foreign affairs spokesman, said.

"It is not surprising that this announcement has been left until after Tony Blair has left office and when George Bush is packing his bags."

Blair was awarded the US congressional gold medal in July 2003, shortly after the invasion of Iraq, but has yet to collect it.

Former recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom include Donald Rumsfeld, Bush's former defence secretary and a chief architect of the Iraq war.

He was awarded the medal in 1977 after serving under former president Gerald Ford.

Bush's vice-president, Dick Cheney, also received the award in 1991.

In late 2004 Bush gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to three figures central to his early policy in Iraq - George Tenet, the former director of the CIA; Paul Bremer, the former head of the US administration in Iraq; and retired General Tommy Franks.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/200916443520691.html
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[StreetKnowledge]

1. Tony Blair you could justify the Medal of Freedom to

For solving the mess in Northern Ireland, which is largely his doing.

But John Howard and Alvaro Uribe are just brown-nosing idiots. Howard started Australia's mandatory detention policy (stupid) and Uribe is the head of a group which kills innocent people to try and stop the drug trade (stupider).

[StreetKnowledge]

2. double post

[Dangerman]

3. Assholes! All ot them!

They supported the death and destruction of hundreds and thousands for innocent people in Iraq and they were rewarded medals of freedom?

Bush and his asshole buddies Blair and Howard deserves an international war crimes tribunal and life sentences, or even worse, then those sh*tty medals!

Bastards!

Monsters! All of them!!!

:mad:

[Contrary1]

4. "...improve the lives of their citizens".

And the good people of Australia would disagree.