Posted on 06/16/2005 11:28:48 AM PDT by kristinn
Forum
Downing Street Minutes and Pre-War Intelligence
U.S. House of Representatives, Conyers, J. (D-MI)
Washington, District of Columbia (United States)
ID: 187209 - 06/16/2005 - 2:00 - ns
Conyers, John Jr., U.S. Representative, D-MI
Bonifaz, John C., Founder, National Voting Rights Institute
Wilson, Joseph, Deputy Chief of Mission (1988-91), Iraq
McGovern, Ray, Member, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
Sheehan, Cindy, Mother
Rep. John Conyers, Jr., and other Democrats hold a public meeting concerning the "Downing Street Memo" and pre-war intelligence on Iraq.
On May 1, 2005 a Sunday London Times article disclosed the details of a classified memo, also known as the "Downing Street Minutes", recounting the minutes of a July 2002 meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair with his advisers that depicted an American president already committed to going to war in the summer of 2002, despite contrary assertions to the public and the Congress. The minutes also described apparent efforts by Bush administration officials to manipulate intelligence data in order to justify the war to the international community.
The hearing is scheduled to be rerun on C-SPAN 2 at 8 p.m. EDT.
Follow this link to get a livestream of C-SPAN 3.
Former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, dispatched by the CIA in February 2002 to investigate reports that Iraq sought to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program with uranium from Africa, was specifically recommended for the mission by his wife, a CIA employee, contrary to what he has said publicly.
-- snip! -
Wilson's assertions -- both about what he found in Niger and what the Bush administration did with the information -- were undermined yesterday in a bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report.
From The Washington Post, no less.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1168703/posts
REGIME CHANGE is the OFFICIAL POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, YOU DIMBULB, MCGovern!!!
The Iraq Liberation Act
October 31, 1998
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 31, 1998
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Today I am signing into law H.R. 4655, the "Iraq Liberation Act of 1998." This Act makes clear that it is the sense of the Congress that the United States should support those elements of the Iraqi opposition that advocate a very different future for Iraq than the bitter reality of internal repression and external aggression that the current regime in Baghdad now offers.
Let me be clear on what the U.S. objectives are: The United States wants Iraq to rejoin the family of nations as a freedom-loving and law-abiding member. This is in our interest and that of our allies within the region.
The United States favors an Iraq that offers its people freedom at home. I categorically reject arguments that this is unattainable due to Iraq's history or its ethnic or sectarian make-up. Iraqis deserve and desire freedom like everyone else. The United States looks forward to a democratically supported regime that would permit us to enter into a dialogue leading to the reintegration of Iraq into normal international life.
My Administration has pursued, and will continue to pursue, these objectives through active application of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The evidence is overwhelming that such changes will not happen under the current Iraq leadership.
In the meantime, while the United States continues to look to the Security Council's efforts to keep the current regime's behavior in check, we look forward to new leadership in Iraq that has the support of the Iraqi people. The United States is providing support to opposition groups from all sectors of the Iraqi community that could lead to a popularly supported government.
On October 21, 1998, I signed into law the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999, which made $8 million available for assistance to the Iraqi democratic opposition. This assistance is intended to help the democratic opposition unify, work together more effectively, and articulate the aspirations of the Iraqi people for a pluralistic, participa--tory political system that will include all of Iraq's diverse ethnic and religious groups. As required by the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 1998 (Public Law 105-174), the Department of State submitted a report to the Congress on plans to establish a program to support the democratic opposition. My Administration, as required by that statute, has also begun to implement a program to compile information regarding allegations of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes by Iraq's current leaders as a step towards bringing to justice those directly responsible for such acts.
The Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 provides additional, discretionary authorities under which my Administration can act to further the objectives I outlined above. There are, of course, other important elements of U.S. policy. These include the maintenance of U.N. Security Council support efforts to eliminate Iraq's weapons and missile programs and economic sanctions that continue to deny the regime the means to reconstitute those threats to international peace and security. United States support for the Iraqi opposition will be carried out consistent with those policy objectives as well. Similarly, U.S. support must be attuned to what the opposition can effectively make use of as it develops over time. With those observations, I sign H.R. 4655 into law.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
THE WHITE HOUSE,
October 31, 1998.
I love FNC!
"McGovern: "Brits concerned regime change not a legal basis for war."
Gee, what about acts of Congress, our law, starting from the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998?
So is CNN. I just love Car chases don't you? ;-)
She says she is unemployed due to Bush's policies, and I'd say she certainly has signed up with the people who will help her. Give her a job? Hell no. Exploit her pain for the pols gain.
BTW check your freepmail. I found the link to that on Little Green Footballs.
We have been bombarding the Senate offices about Durbin's Gitmo remarks today...
We can bombard them again...about this stupid attempt at a coup d'etat!
McGovern is an expert propagandist.
Senate Unanimously Passes Iraq Liberation Act, Oct 7
Iraq News, October 9, 1998
http://www.fas.org/news/iraq/1998/10/981009-in.htm
They live in a dream world.
Durbin should be ashamed of himself - he and Charlie Rangel should be censored! Better yet - kicked out!
I got two calls today from Republican PAC organizations looking for handouts, one with a message from a senator about union activities and another from a PAC group run by JC Watts alerting me about what "a liberal group run by George Soros is doing"...I told them I've been out in the streets fighting these people at rallies and counter protests against the Moveon's and ANSWERS of the world all in the name of GWB and the GOP.
(I did a solo Freep at a pair of Moveon house parties last year, joined Protest Warrior two days during last Spetember's RNC and joined them again with a few Freepers in Central Park on the 2nd anniversarry of the Iraq war this March)
I told them until the GOP stands up and fights for me and has the guts to call for the censure of dirtbags like Dick Durbin after the horrible things he said about our troops they should stop calling me!!
Is this guy asking Conyers to to submit a Resolution of Inquiry to the Congress?
Oh, PLEASE, let Conyers do that!
Wow! That's terrific!
Na .. they do a fine job all by themselves of looking like Complete Idiots
Binifaz forgot the Congress gave authority to go to war. Senate voted 77-23
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/03/attack/main524191.shtml
CBS) Both the House and the Senate have now voted to authorize war-making powers for President Bush, who heralded the chamber's vote as a resounding message to United Nations and to the world that "the gathering threat of Iraq must be confronted fully and finally."
The resolution - which authorizes President Bush to launch a military attack against Iraq if he decides it is necessary - was approved by the House Thursday evening and the Senate followed suit shortly after 1 a.m. Friday.
In the House, the vote was 296-133, with a majority of Democrats voting against the resolution.
In the Senate, the vote was 77-23, with 21 Democrats voting no, joined by Independent Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont and Republican Sen. Linc Chafee of Rhode Island.
YEP
But Conyers won't commit to anything yet ..
Freepers have LONG memories and a LOT Of bookmarks.
Oh, Maxine says this may be the biggest scandal in the country's history!
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