Blair ignored CIA weapons warning

[IndianaGreen]

Blair ignored CIA weapons warning

Intelligence breakdown after Britain dismissed US doubts over Iraq nuclear link to Niger

Kamal Ahmed, political editor
Sunday July 13, 2003
The Observer

Britain and America suffered a complete breakdown in relations over vital evidence against Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction, refusing to share information and keeping each other in the dark over key elements of the case against the Iraqi dictator.

In a remarkable letter released last night, the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, reveals a catalogue of disputes between the two countries, lending more ammunition to critics of the war and exerting fresh pressure on the Prime Minister.

The letter to the Foreign Affairs Committee, which investigated the case for war against Iraq, reveals that Britain ignored a request from the CIA to remove claims that Saddam was trying to buy nuclear material from Niger, despite concerns that the allegations were bogus. It also details a government decision to block information going to the CIA because it was too sensitive.

As diplomatic relations between America and Britain become increasingly strained over Iraq's WMD, Straw said that the Government had separate evidence of the Niger link, which it has not shared with the US.

The revelations come just four days before Tony Blair travels to America for his toughest visit there since he came to power in 1997. As well as WMD, the Prime Minister will also raise Britain's 'serious concerns' over the treatment of British citizens held at Guantanamo Bay.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,997243,00.html

[Nambe]

1. Bottom line, blair is ignorant.

Both of these Buffoons lied their butts off to get their war and thought they could get away with it. They might but there will be a lot of dammage to a lot of people.

[IndianaGreen]

2. The Guardian is calling for an independent investigation

No more fudges

A WMD inquiry is imperative now

Leader
Sunday July 13, 2003
The Observer

We live in the era of pre-emptive warfare. The build-up to the most recent Gulf war demonstrated a widespread acceptance of the need to anticipate the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, and challenge those who have access to them and may deploy them. In such circumstances, the accuracy of the intelligence informing such decisions becomes critical.

We must be convinced that the information on which our governments go to war is impartially gathered and impartially presented before the lives of combatants and civilians are put at risk.

<snip>

Following the admission by the CIA's director that he did not believe this claim, we must be told how it became so central to arguments deployed by Britain and the US. We need to be told the source of our intelligence, which the Government says is independent of fake documents which Washington now disavows. And we must be clear about when US intelligence first alerted the Government to their doubts.

Only a full public inquiry can answer these questions and the broader issues of the case for war.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,6903,997145,00.html

[indictrichardperle]

3. latest bad sitcom dialogue

Jack Straw sez "yea we were really fighting , and not getting along, so we didnt share our super secret intelligence with Washington" "yea, yea thats it"

Incompetent ninkenpoops.....bad liars, it just keeps getting worse.

[kainah]

8. That's an excellent short summary

which can easily be adapted for letters to the editor. I encourage EVERYONE to WRITE YOUR NEWSPAPER.

[jamesinca]

11. Howard Dean has called fro this in the U.S.

He called for this some days ago. The man is right on top of the issues.

[Starpass]

4. Ummm-doesn't this reveal yet another lie????

The perception given to Americans and the world was that we were all as cozy as kittens with the British and Powell used so called "British Intelligence" in his UN presentation (the pathetic college paper). Right then and there the goddamn fucking press (criminals all) should have been all over this ruse pulled on the peoples of the world. How can anyone ever again believe this sicko, whore media?? They shot down the shouts as "lunatic fringe"---they are criminals who so neglected their duties in a democracy that they should be sitting it out at Camp X-Ray. BUSH LIED ABOUT HOW WE WERE SUCH CLOSE ALLIES WITH THE BRITISH---it was already falling apart. This bastard had NO allies (bought off slime, all of them and a British PM who Bush lied to and jerked around). Clinton needs to call up his buddy Blair and tell him to scream his head off the Bush lied, lied, lied, lied to him just like Bush lied to his own Congress. If Tony attacks him as the front man of a crime family only bent on sucking down the world's oil, it will have tremendous damage on this little prick.

[IndianaGreen]

5. This reveals that this scandal will spread and not go away

It will be very hard for the US press to give a pass to Bush for something that Blair is being burned at the stake for.

[Jack Rabbit]

6. The Boy and his Dog will be buried together

Perhaps the CIA didn't tell Bush, but they remembered to tell Blair. And he went ahead and used dubuius information to justify war against Iraq. And yet, Blair, as recently as today, still claims he had information about Saddam attempting to buy uranium.

Blair should resign tonight.

[kainah]

7. We'll know how seriously the media is taking this whole thing

tomorrow morning with the Sunday shows. Does this letter get discussed in depth? If the "press" wants this story to go away, you will not hear the name Jack Straw mentioned tomorrow. If they do mention it, we'll know that some of them truly are following the threads of this story. Tomorrow's Sunday shows will be a really big test of this story.

[lumpy]

9. Sunday TV talk is supposed to be hot accoding to the pundits.

I hope it is hotter than the hell we've been thrown into. The boil needs to be excoriated.

[IndianaGreen]

10. I think Senator Bob Graham will be on the same show as Cheney

Graham will not let Cheney get away with bullshit! I can't hardly wait, particularly in view of the Washington Post front page article that exposes the role that Cheney's office played in using uncorroborated intelligence information in its PR campaign to justify the war on Iraq.