16 May 2005Politics
The Downing Street Memo

If it wasn't clear before, there is now irrefutable evidence that President Bush was determined to invade Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein as far back as the summer of 2002 and fixed the intelligence and facts relevant to WMD to ensure that U.S. intelligence data supported his policies.

Here's an except from the "Downing Street Memo" that was leaked to the British press during their recent election:

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.

You can read the whole memo here.

If this doesn't make you angry, nothing will and there's clearly something wrong with you.

If you're a conservative, you should be outraged that leaders you voted into office have led us down this path. You should demand answers and accountability. Progressives are already outraged enough. U.S. Representative John Conyers is one of 89 members of the House of Representatives to send a letter to the White House demanding an explanation. The White House, naturally, has not yet responded to the congressional letter and most likely will not.

For those of who thought this war was folly to begin with, this is not any big surprise, but it disturbing for so many reasons. Clearly we now have an exact analogy to Vietnam. The country was mislead into war. The war was intended to intimidate our enemies through "Shock and Awe" but clearly failed and emboldened the same foes we were trying to cow. Citizens and most of the world no longer trusts intelligence or military decisions made by this government. We can't admit that the war was a mistake in fear of alienating military families who lost sons & daughters for no real reason. We are pinned down in a country with no real exit strategy. We can't leave Iraq because the resulting violence would be our responsibility. Our military is stretched thin and it's questionable whether we'd be able to muster the resources to fight a concurrent war against a real threat. It's bad news all around.

Who's going to take the fall for this? No one unless the American people make known their displeasure by going to polls and voting the people who supported this war out of office. But is it going to happen? Porbably not because there is massive cognitive dissonance in this country that keeps people from reacting to major issues like this while spending most of their political efforts on social issues such as abortion and sex education that are so very minor in comparison.

Posted by andrew at May 16, 2005 11:04 AM


Comments

Annie Says:

Let's evaluate this for a moment. His actions were purely based on his southern good ol' boy, know-it-all, quick-draw, I'm the son of George H.W. and Saddam tried to kill my daddy mentality. His self-proclaimed relationship with God and his grandiose idea that he's some type of profit/crusader who claims God spoke to him and he's fulfilling God'�s prophecy was what helped him acquire the vote for the moral majority and charm the religious fundamentalists and right extremists (or are they one in the same?). And why not base your decision to support the President on faith? It's so logical. Of course he played that card. Why wouldn't he? For the religious zealots, they eat that shit up.

Of course, most dedicated followers of the right, just go along like lemmings and vote along their party lines. It always amazes me when people can't see past their party and ignore the leader, their history and their agenda - which is just plain sad.

"But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbors, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. The British officials determined to push for an ultimatum for Saddam to allow U.N. weapons inspectors back into Iraq to "help with the legal justification for the use of force ... despite U.S. resistance."

It has been known for a while that Iran and North Korea were bigger threats based on their capabilities but that seemed to go unnoticed by the population as a whole. I don't know what creases me more - the apathy or the obtuseness.

Let's not forget his imperious, defensive responses bordering on pugilistic whenever he is asked to defend his actions in Iraq. His Texas tiger, cowboy-esque attitude should not have been rewarded by another term in office. His motives should have been questioned. A leader who acts like a petulant child would be questioned in any other country rather than defended.

I'm seriously concerned that the majority of the American population that voted for him could be so duped into thinking that this clown is protecting our country and keeping us safe. I'm more concerned that many voted for this administration out of fear - fear that they needed to finish what they started in Iraq, fear that this is the only president that had the cajones to protect us. That was his entire campaign. Basing your entire campaign on the fact that your hand is on a hair trigger is quite scary.

I'm also concerned about the state of our national security now that we've set the precedent for preemptive war. What or who is going to stop another country from attacking the US preemptively? Based on our justification for war in Iraq, the imminent threat of WMDs could be a reason. Based on our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US is now viewed internationally as a large superpower bully with one itchy hand on the launch button.

Let's not forget where we live. We have a choice. We the people... Thank goodness for the 23rd amendment.

May 16, 2005 07:46 PM

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