Downing Street Memo
I should have been talking about this earlier, especially since media coverage has been abysmal through Deep Throat, Runaway Bride, etc. The Downing Street Memo, leaked minutes from a meeting of Tony Blair and his advisors as printed in the London Times, seems to corroborate the worst fears about Bush’s case for war.
In the July 2002 document a British intelligence operative describes a recent visit to Washington where Bush asked Britain to lend their support to an upcoming military campaign in Iraq. This was before Congress gave the President authority to invade, and before any case was made to the United Nations. In fact, the operative describes a plan to justify military action by forcing Hussein to readmit weapons inspectors. It also suggests that the incorrect intelligence regarding WMDs was not blundered, it was doctored to suit the case for war:
There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime’s record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.
There is some backlash in the form of a petition circulated by Rep. John Conyers, as well as opinions from some of the more liberal Congressmen and calls for impeachement from Ralph Nader and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark. But thus far the administration has refused to answer any questions about the document, although an anonymous “senior administration official” told Newsday the memo is an accurate discription of officer’s visit to Washington:
A former senior U.S. official called it “an absolutely accurate description of what transpired” during the senior British intelligence officer’s visit to Washington. He spoke on condition of anonymity.
A White House official said the administration wouldn’t comment on leaked British documents.
Though it seems to me that nothing will be accomplished until the newsmedia takes this to the public, a la Woodward and Bernstein. This needs to be discussed, and the silence is inexcusable.