Downing Street Memo should be today's Watergate scandal

[paineinthearse]

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/columnists/eve_browning/11820404.htm

Downing Street Memo should be today's Watergate scandal

Duluth News-Tribune (Minnesota), June 5, 2005 Sunday

In a document known as the Downing Street Memo, released by the London Times in early May, evidence is given the George W. Bush and Tony Blair spoke frankly about cooking the intelligence reports on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, to make them appear to justify a war effort. Ah, Watergate! Those were the good old days! Last week the identity of "Deep Throat" was revealed at last. Former FBI official W. Mark Felt stepped forward at the age of 91 to admit he provided inside information to the media concerning the misdeeds of the Nixon administration.

This necessitated explaining the ins and outs of the Watergate scandal to a whole generation who had heard of it only in the vaguest terms. Those of us who lived through it remember the excitement, the outrage, the suspense, the unforgettable image of a president leaving the White House before his term expired, covered in shame and still claiming pathetically, "I am not a crook!" When we explained Watergate to the youngsters, some of us got this reaction: "What was the big deal?" And it is true: The events that brought down the Nixon administration seem almost trivial to our contemporary eyes. A bungled robbery of the Democratic Party's campaign headquarters? Who thought there would be valuable strategic information to be found in that place?

I have been a Democrat all my life but I would never accuse my party of being strategically sophisticated. But at least they didn't plan a robbery by putting masking tape on a doorlock. Robber technology doesn't get any sillier than that. In hindsight, the misdeeds of the Nixon administration have a quaint nostalgic quality; in those days, we had scandals that were innocent and foolish, Norman Rockwell scandals. That Watergate ended many careers and sent several high-ranking politicos to prison. It cast a permanent shadow over Richard Nixon and his entire family. It launched a new generation of investigative reporters hot to the scent of political blood. That generation is now retiring.

Since Watergate we have had a few more presidential scandals, notably President Clinton's notorious sexual improprieties in the Oval Office and elsewhere. This too, if you will pardon me for saying so, is a childish kind of scandal. A president with his pants down, a president whose appetite for sexual release rivals his appetite for junk food. While I was shocked to learn of Monicagate, I was not frightened for the future of our nation. Clinton's antics were more embarrassing than horrifying. Now here is a horrifying scandal: a president who lies to Congress, lies to the country, and drags us into a war of aggression that shows no sign of having an end. A president who wastes the lives of more than 1,600 young Americans and slaughters uncounted non-combatants, destroys their cities and their countryside, to even a score with Saddam Hussein and procure yet more wealth for Bush's already obscenely wealthy friends. A president who offers a personal hug of condolence to every mother whose child dies in this war, while knowing in his own heart that his regime conspired to cause these children's deaths.

more............

EVE BROWNING is an associate professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

[whistle]

1. I have a question...isn't the DSM a report on what the writer.....

....Rycroft says he heard of interpreted from the meeting with the Prime Minister and all of those present at that meeting? If so, it is really a second hand source. What are needed are the transcribed minutes of the meeting.

[dakota_democrat]

2. Oh, I'm sure they've already been destroyed...

If there's anything this administration's shown to us, it's that you don't need a lot of brainpower for cover-up work.

dakota_democrat

[Karenina]

7. The memo IS the minutes

sent to inform other high-ranking officials of what transpired at the meeting. Your doubt explains exactly why MINUTES should ALWAYS appear in the same sentence as memo. Language really matters, especially when dealing with folks who are easily confused by such phrases as "Theory of Evolution."

DOWNING STREET MINUTES - OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT MINUTES OF AN OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT MEETING - distributed to U.K. EYES ONLY in the form of a memo...

[ms liberty]

19. Exactly - Repeat this: The memo IS the minutes...

The long version is the meaning in the use of the word "memo". IMHO, it's the British use of the word, to be precise, as opposed to our use of the word that's behind the confusion. "Memo" is not being used in the modern American way (i.e., memo = a note from the boss reminding everyone about inventory next week). It's memo as in "memo short for memorandum", meaning an official report or transcript regarding official business. This is something that's been driving me crazy, because I think this teeny little basic misunderstanding has caused some people to dismiss this story. We don't always speak the same English as the British, and this is one of those times.

[EVDebs]

10. Future of Iraq Project work by State shit-canned by OSP

State Dept. Study Foresaw Trouble Now Plaguing Iraq
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/State_dept_study_101903.htm

this legitimate work paid for with taxpayers dollars was shit-canned by the Bush administration in favor of the lies of the Office of Special Plans and PNAC. Remember, the troops were going to be treated like in France during WWII as liberators...not occupiers.

This is impeachable abuse of federal agency, the State Dept and the legit intell provided by the DIA and CIA, which also got shit-canned for 'curveball'/Chalabi crap.

[Blue Belle]

3. It's happening!

This story keeps circulating! Sooner or later, the mainstrem media will not be able to withhold stories on this document...

[Brotherjohn]

Context: THE DSM DID NOT APPEAR IN A VACUUM!

That's the context in which the DSM is properly interpreted.

We already have had high-ranking members of the Bush administration alleging that Bush cooked the books to justify a pre-determined decision to go to war (O'Niell, Clarke), as well as many others in a position to know.

We already have many publicly reported instances (as well as our own common sense) making it clear that the Bush administration ignored evidence running counter to their case for war and exagerrated evidence which backed their case for war.

Now, we have a black-and-white government document saying the same thing. One whose authenticity no one has yet to dispute. That's a LOT.

How much do we need before we stop saying "That's just one person's opinion" and start saying "Maybe they DID manufacture the reasons for this war!" and "Maybe they DID intentionally mislead Congress, the American public, and the world!"?

[Cugel the Clever]

4. Proof of the Obvious

The DSM is very frustrating because it is easily dismissed by BushCo Spinners- it's foreign hear-say bullshit, nuff said.

Unless the Corpo-Media finds a hook, this story is about as interesting as last week's weather. Someone has got to tie some US officials' names to the DSM and then, inevitably, gay sex.

Sigh..

[janetle]

5. This in combination with what Bolton did to Bustani....

....should be grounds for some major major investigating leading to articles of impeachment.

Yesterday when I read this AP article about how Bolton forced the firing of diplomat Bustani in 2002 who.....guess what?...wanted to send in more weapons inspectors into Iraq, I just thought "What in the world more do we need to get this ball rolling!!??" Obviously, Bolton's badgering of Bustani was purposefully designed to support Bush's plans to invade based on the whole WMD lie. Bustani's efforts would have undermined Bush's plans.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050605/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bolton_un_firing_11

What more do we need? What more do we need?

[tom_paine]

27. We need a Free Nation with a functioning Constitutional System

sufficient that it can police it's own National Leadership.

But if you are looking for such characteristics of Free Nations in Imperial Amerika since it's inception in 2001, you will not find them.

Imperial Amerika is as likely to investigate it's Ruling Family as the Old Soviet Union was to investigate the Brezhnev family.

Sadly, it is as simple as that.

[wallwriter]

6. What more do we need??

How 'bout some more people n Congress with some seroius backbone? Where is that Kerry speech, anyway, and where are the people in Congress to stand up there with him besides astalwart or two like Conyers?

[Mockingbird]

22. Backbone starts at home...

Why should we expect backbone there?

If they are a caricature reflection of the populace in general - then people better see to things themselves first.

Or have the nerve to elect STATESMEN quality politicians, instead of somebody that represents the mush in the middle.

The NeoCONs went for the jugular with who they got in - & are bullying anybody that has reasonable thoughts.

[Brotherjohn]

8. The QUESTION has yet to be ASKED!

In a meaningful way, by anyone that matters, anyway (especially the media).

DID BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS INTENTIONALLY MISLEAD IN MAKING THE CASE FOR WAR?

It is now well established that "we were wrong" about WMDs in Iraq.

But the Senate report on the matter (as well as the media) explicitly avoided the question of whether the Bush administration misused, exaggerated, or otherwise misrepresented intelligence they DID get. They also promised to address that question later, which of course they haven't.

While it is clear that some of the intelligence overreached, it is also abundantly clear that much of the very same intelligence cited by the Bush administration was either MUCH less conclusive than they claimed, loaded with caveats, or outright in opposition to their claims. And it is also clear that they were warned on numerous occassions of the nature of this intelligence.

They either had to be horrendously incompetent or intentionally deceptive to have depicted Saddam's alleged WMDs as the rock-solid case which they depicted it as.

As John Conyers put it today:
"We have reached a point where all but the most delusional enthusiasts of the Iraq war have now acknowledged that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction at the time of the U.S. invasion and likely for over a decade preceding the war. Fox News and the President were slow to acknowledge this fact, but now have.

Unfortunately, it seems this rare consensus has lulled many into failing to ask the follow-up question: why were the President and other high-ranking administration officials so definitive in their statements that Iraq possessed WMD?"

IT'S TIME, AT LONG LAST, TO FINALLY ASK THE QUESTION!

[Amonester]

9. My thoughts 2.

"Now here is a horrifying scandal: a president who lies to Congress, lies to the country, and drags us into a war of aggression that shows no sign of having an end. A president who wastes the lives of more than 1,600 young Americans and slaughters uncounted non-combatants, destroys their cities and their countryside, to even a score with Saddam Hussein and procure yet more wealth for Bush's already obscenely wealthy friends. A president who offers a personal hug of condolence to every mother whose child dies in this war, while knowing in his own heart that his regime conspired to cause these children's deaths."

Except for "offers a personal hug of condolence to every mother" (has anyone ever seen him shead a crocodile tear at even one of the Boys-and-Girls' funerals???)



Edit: added emphasis.

[0007]

11. I have my fingers crossed and hoping to hell this comes out

and gets the ball rolling.

The senate session just started and Frist is going over the itinerary.

[JRob]

12. "cooking the intelligence" brilliant turn...

[JEDinBKLYN]

13. Squeaky Wheels

We just gotta keep pounding... Circulate Conyers letter, write to your local papers, link like crazy on your blogs, talk to people on the street, and don't get discouraged. Let's keep this gun smoking until someone smells it!

ABOUT THAT MEMO

[newyawker99]

26. Hi JEDinBKLYN!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Douglas Carpenter]

14. Keep the Pressure on the Media!!!!

:bounce:

Just a reminder of some very, very important links:

To sign Congressman Conyers’ letter

http://www.johnconyers.campaignoffice.com


To put and keep pressure on the Mainstream Media:

http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/takeaction.html#awaken


http://www.afterdowningstreet.org


LISTEN TO THE RANDI RHODES SHOW-to keep up daily with what’s going on with--THE DOWNING STREET MEMO:

http://www.therandirhodesshow.com


Peace
O8)

[ztn]

15. watergate was a fluke until proven otherwise....

the media hasn't been so tenacious about something real (Clinton-Monica was "Schiavo News") before or since.

we'll see..

[sickem]

16. We need to start

talking about the CONGRESSIONAL COVERUP that these wimps like John McCain have been involved in. He was on the committee that was supposed to be investigating WMD intelligence. All he and the rest of the committee did was put a smokescreen out for Bush. We need to remind these people who they work for and let them know that we'll see them prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if they don't start asking the tough questions of the Bush administration.

NO MORE COVERING UP!!!!

[paineinthearse]

17. "masking tape on a doorlock"

Actually it was black electrical tape, but I won't quibble about details.

But that remined me about Frank Wills (or was it Willis?).

For any young DU're, I "challange" you to research Frank's story, a national hero.

[paineinthearse]

18. "I would never accuse my party of being strategically sophisticated"

I don't know if I should :rofl: or :cry:

[Mockingbird]

21. Well, the alternative might be to ask Hannity & O'Reilly to cover it...

Sophistication isn't the deal - its grassroots success.

And since people are afraid to be confrontational
& its bad form to discuss important things at work, in order to maintain a homogenous workforce...

[cyclezealot]

24. Hope we at DU are not afraid to be confrontrational

With Tony Blair in DC this week, this is the time to confront everyone pertinant to this story...Blair is to be on PBS news tonight..How much timidity will they display..? We can't let them...
Confrontration is fun..Today I called three members of Congress..Felt great to annoy my Repug member of Congress...Demanded a reply too, to her feelings about the "Downing Street Memo" and wanted to know if they were aware...Said I was the first phone caller...Probably a good Repug. to bug is Sen. Richard Lugar.
Lets getting bugging ok..If this story got Full play it could bring down Dubya.! Has everyone signed Rep. Conyers letter ...
Even a weakling like John Kerry might pick up on this scandal..how about you...

[Mockingbird]

20. WHILE YOUR AT IT - HELP RECRUITERS?...

Maybe it would also be helpful to waning recruitment if people also leafletted with enlistment forms.

There are many church parking lots, shopping mall lots, grocery carts & childcare center lots that need to see some civic duty.

[paineinthearse]

25. A caller to CSPAN journal this morning suggested....

...* supporters tear off the yellow ribbons off their big SUV's, stop buying their chidren homes, and, instead, driving them down to the local recruiting depot and enlisting them.

[Puglover]

23. Im so proud

to be a Minnesotan. First the Star Trib and now this. Where is the rest of the MSM?