Bit by bit, the real Dr Kelly emerges from the shadows

[tinnypriv]

Bit by bit, the real Dr Kelly emerges from the shadows
* The man dismissed as a lowly technician was no such thing *
The Independent on Sunday, July 27 2003

It is just over a week since Dr David Kelly's body was found in the Oxfordshire countryside, yet the shock waves from his apparent suicide are still spreading.

...

It has become clear that Dr Kelly was not quite the narrowly focused specialist, with little connection to the world of spying, that he seemed when he gave evidence to the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) during its investigation of the decision to go to war in Iraq. He himself sought to create that impression before the committee, and his reasons for doing so may be significant.

It was public knowledge that Dr Kelly had a distinguished career as a leading UN weapons inspector in Iraq and had been nominated to lead the British contingent in the Iraq Survey Group, formed to take the UN inspectors' place. But we now know that not only was he probably the Government's most knowledgeable adviser on the history of Iraq's weapons programmes, but he also had a high security clearance, sat in on MI6 interrogations of Iraqi defectors and was a member of a high-level committee reviewing all the intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. His value was such that he had been appointed a "special deputy chief scientific officer", a rarely used civil service grade that allowed him to move in senior circles without having administrative responsibilities.

When it came to the contents of the dossier, in short, David Kelly was certainly in a position to know what he was talking about..

...

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=427864 (my emphases)

[DrBB]

1. They keep saying "committed suicide"

...but, tinfoil notwithstanding, isn't that rather an open question still? "Apparent suicide," you'd think would be the proper way to say it, yeah? I mean, the coroner's report hasn't been filed yet--or has it? If it has, I'd like to read it, because there seem to me to be a number of unlikely things about it. A 5 mile walk is NOT one of them. But a biochemist chosing to slit one wrist IS. If I was a biochemist and I wanted to off myself, slitting a wrist is pretty far down the list of reliable and easy ways to do it. People do strange things, but I'd like to see a good explanation of how this is supposed to add up.

On edit: they do use "apparent suicide" here, but not in a lot of other things I've read. Just to be clear....

[DagmarK]

3. Good point........he wouldn't slit his wrist........

He would have the knowledge and the access to all sorts of drugs.

Sounds like Mr. Kelly is probably the main link between No. 10 and perhaps a shadowy corner of their secret intelligence.

I can hear tony........ "shoot guys......just make sure I am not in town when you do it. Gee......i could always go see George next week........." FOR no apparent reason, Tony pops over here (medal or not)

[DrBB]

6. Actually, I think Tony was taken aback

Like I said in an earlier post, his reaction in Japan reminded me more of Diane Keaton at the end of Godfather I, when she asks Michael did he kill Connie's husband and he uses all his persuasive powers to convince her he would never do such a thing. Then through the open doorway she sees the Capos kissing his ring and realizes once and for all what she's married to.

What are YOU married to, Tony? Hm? Still think W's your good buddy 'n' stuff? Nice, straight-shootin, plain-spoken Texiz cowpoke 'neverything?

[Dimsdale]

5. Apparent suicide..

..ok. Wasn't the man also heavily sedated before he, or someone, did the deed. The man is unknowningly sedated, carried into the wood and...I'm sure this thought is well circulated. But it was my first after reading about Kelly. This is my first chance to post it here.

[Cha]

2. First and foremost is WHY? Why would Dr Kelly have

committed "suicide"? He had made plans for the rest of the week..his daughter's wedding was coming up!! How could you do that to your daughter!? If so it must have been a Humdinger of a reason!

From what little I've seen and read about Dr. Kelly, I really liked him and I hope they find out exactly what went down with this man.

[aquart]

8. Also, it has to be said...

That man was gorgeous. His bone structure was beautiful. If every man could age like that.....

What a bloody waste on a totally superficial level.

[DrBB]

4. It does seem like the Beeb was justified

...in referring to him as a senior intelligence person, or whatever the exact wording was, if this story is true. I still find the political side of this a bit hard to parse. From this article it looks like in his testimony he had realized his security clearance was in jeopardy and was trying to come across as less authoritative than he was in order to get out of the spotlight if he could. But it didn't work. The bottom line seems to be that the criticisms he fed to the Beeb were accurate--or at least founded on high-level access; the Beeb was right to consider him a high-level source, and the MoD wanted his blood for exposing their hyping of the Iraq intel.

I do wish the Independent hadn't misused the word "fulsome" though--c'mon guys, you're Brits, you're supposed to know better.

[julka]

7. life imitates art, sort of........

from yahoo......


DEFENSE OF THE REALM is a gripping thriller that stars Gabriel Byrne, Greta Scacchi, and Denholm Elliott. Nick Mullen (Byrne), a young reporter for a British daily newspaper, is beginning to drift into a cynical and bored routine when he suddenly stumbles across a political cover-up <<<<involving the British Government>>>>>>.
With the aid of his colleague, Vernon (Elliott), and his attractive secretary, Nina (Scacchi), Nick sets out on a dangerous journey to uncover hidden truths.

I've seen this a couple of times.

well worth watching; eerie, though not obvious, parallels

if you don't wear your tinfoil hat while watching, at least put some popcorn in it.

[study_war_no_more]

9. I have seen but never rented

Ty for the heads up. Enemy of the state is enough to make any one a bit nervous.

[indictrichardperle]

10. as far as im concerned

anyone who believes the official cover-up regarding Kellys death.....

Has shit for brains. This is freaking obvious, it was a hit.......whose intelligence service? dunno....many many plausible motives....

Bottem line, he knew too much and the Iraqi war/scandalous fraud arising from it, put him in a very dangerous position.

[ReadTomPaine]

11. The third partner in war...

If you believe that Dr. David Kelly was murdered the main question you should be asking is who would benefit the most from his death and who would be the most damaged politically. Remember what Kelly was doing and what his expertise was – a WMD expert and most importantly one who understood all the facts regarding the faulty dossier, including those Nigerian forgeries. Even with Kelly’s leaks, neither the USA nor the UK had much to gain by his death and it’s been shown that UK credibility has taken a huge hit on this matter while few Americans seem to care. Who has the most to gain, then? Consider this- what if the *third* senior party to support this war, Israel, had been the unnamed and still highly protected creator of those forged documents. Can you imagine the uproar if it were discovered that Sharon’s government fabricated evidence that was directly used to start a Middle Eastern war? Also of primary importance is the Blair labor government’s moderating liberal influence with the US regarding the dispensation of Palestine. Of the three parties involved, it’s the ruling Likud party in Israel that has the best vested interest in removing the UK’s influence in this affair. Killing Dr. Kelly is a very effective way to discredit Blair and eliminate his pull in those circles, and what better time to do it then when he’s off playing senior statesman in Washington? Sharon himself recently said two very revealing things. Firstly he explicitly warned Blair that Britain should stay out of the business of influencing the USA and others regarding Israel’s hawkish policies or the situation might “blow up in his face” and secondly he admitted recently that Israel would be sending agents abroad, even to countries of his erstwhile allies, and that assassination on this foreign soil would be an acceptable means of dealing with threats to his country. Taken together, these are strong indicators that if Dr Kelly was indeed murdered, it was by Israeli agents under Likud orders.

[donsu]

12. yes, I remember full well reading of Sharon sending agents

to other countries to assassinate. And as Sharon is an arm of the bushgang, then you know the gang was in agreement with Sharon's actions.

[JNelson6563]

13. while I wouldn't doubt Sharon's

involvement, I would say Bush had the most to gain from it. It silenced a source that would ultimately hurt him, screw Blair, save the Simian!!!!!!!!

Julie

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

14. He was killed...plain and simple.

Anyone who buys this "suicide" as fact is either very gullable or 56% of the American public.

His murder was a preventative measure and a warning to others not to leak info on the war criminal cabal.

JB

[0rganism]

15. Baxterized, plain and simple

Welcome to the machine, Mr. Blair.