M. Smith The Real News in the Downing Street Memos (bomed pre-war_

[rodeodance]

54.6 tons of bombs dropped by US and its allies in September alone.


http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-smith23jun23,0,1838831.story

> June 23, 2005
> COMMENTARY

> The Real News in the Downing Street Memos
> By Michael Smith, Michael Smith writes on defense issues for the Sunday Times of London.



> But another part of the memo is arguably more important. It quotes British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon as saying that "the U.S. had already begun 'spikes of activity' to put pressure on the regime." This we now realize was Plan B.
>
> Put simply, U.S. aircraft patrolling the southern no-fly zone were dropping a lot more bombs in the hope of provoking a reaction that would give the allies an excuse to carry out a full-scale bombing campaign, an air war, the first stage of the conflict.
>
> British government figures for the number of bombs dropped on southern Iraq in 2002 show that although virtually none were used in March and April, an average of 10 tons a month were dropped between May and August.
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> But these initial "spikes of activity" didn't have the desired effect. The Iraqis didn't retaliate. They didn't provide the excuse Bush and Blair needed. So at the end of August, the allies dramatically intensified the bombing into what was effectively the initial air war......
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[donco6]

Yes, that's kinda glossed over . . .

. . . in the attempt to focus on the intelligence item. But we should be pressing to inquire what the justification for that was.

[Cha]

1. Good to know!

No wonder..rove, cheney, et al are scurrying like cornered rats and lit up cockroaches.