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Bush told Blair we're going to war, memo reveals (PM backed invasion despite illegality)
Guardian ^ | Thursday February 2, 2006

Posted on 02/02/2006 1:05:52 PM PST by presidio9

Tony Blair told President George Bush that he was "solidly" behind US plans to invade Iraq before he sought advice about the invasion's legality and despite the absence of a second UN resolution, according to a new account of the build-up to the war published today. A memo of a two-hour meeting between the two leaders at the White House on January 31 2003 - nearly two months before the invasion - reveals that Mr Bush made it clear the US intended to invade whether or not there was a second resolution and even if UN inspectors found no evidence of a banned Iraqi weapons programme.

-snip-

The disclosures come in a new edition of Lawless World, by Phillipe Sands, a QC and professor of international law at University College, London. Professor Sands last year exposed the doubts shared by Foreign Office lawyers about the legality of the invasion in disclosures which eventually forced the prime minister to publish the full legal advice given to him by the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith.

The memo seen by Prof Sands reveals:

· Mr Bush told the Mr Blair that the US was so worried about the failure to find hard evidence against Saddam that it thought of "flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours". Mr Bush added: "If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach [of UN resolutions]".

· Bush even expressed the hope that a defector would be extracted from Iraq and give a "public presentation about Saddam's WMD". He is also said to have referred Mr Blair to a "small possibility" that Saddam would be "assassinated".

· Mr Blair told the US president that a second UN resolution would be an "insurance policy", providing "international cover, including with the Arabs"

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections; United Kingdom; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: allyuk; bushandblair; conspiracytheory; guardian; iraq; makingitup; noevidence; prequel; redstarguardian; un; unitednations; wtfk; zogbyism
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1 posted on 02/02/2006 1:05:54 PM PST by presidio9
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To: presidio9; All

(((SIGH)))) I guess according to the Guardian nothing else is happening in the UK or the rest of the world. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!


2 posted on 02/02/2006 1:08:02 PM PST by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers, Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason!)
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To: presidio9
The memo seen by Prof Sands reveals:

uh-huh. Can we *see* the memo?

3 posted on 02/02/2006 1:08:54 PM PST by Fenris6 (3 Purple Hearts in 4 months w/o missing a day of work? He's either John Rambo or a Fraud)
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To: Fenris6

Um, the originals were destroyed. But if you give me a crayon I can reproduce them.
I MUST see DU's response to this.


4 posted on 02/02/2006 1:10:44 PM PST by massgopguy (massgopguy)
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To: massgopguy

I can tell you right now......Merry Fitzmas, this is the day everything changed forever, impeach *, yada, yada, yada....


5 posted on 02/02/2006 1:12:27 PM PST by NRA1995 (GOOOOOOO STEELERS!!!)
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To: massgopguy; All
DUer's response: IMPEACHMENT! YIPPPEEEEE!!! loads of bouncy smileys on their posts!

DUer's repsonse tomorrow: Oxygen more Oxygen!!!

6 posted on 02/02/2006 1:12:51 PM PST by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers, Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason!)
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To: massgopguy
if you give me a crayon I can reproduce them.

I have 97 typewriters. Want to borrow one. I am sure we can find a type font that fits.

7 posted on 02/02/2006 1:13:41 PM PST by Lion Den Dan
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To: Fenris6

"The memo seen by Prof Sands reveals: "

Fake but accurate.


8 posted on 02/02/2006 1:16:06 PM PST by EQAndyBuzz ("We don't need POLITICIANS...we need STATESMEN.")
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To: Fenris6; massgopguy; Lion Den Dan

9 posted on 02/02/2006 1:17:57 PM PST by presidio9 ("Bird Flu" is the new Y2K virus -only without the handy deadline.)
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To: presidio9
Tony Blair Winston Churchill told President George Bush Franklin Roosevelt that he was "solidly" behind US plans to invade Iraq Germany before he sought advice about the invasion's legality.
10 posted on 02/02/2006 1:18:32 PM PST by Tokra (I think I'll retire to Bedlam.)
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To: presidio9
"If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach [of UN resolutions]".

I thought he was already in breach of 17 resolutions.

11 posted on 02/02/2006 1:19:54 PM PST by kddid (Hillary Clinton will never be President of the United States.)
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To: areafiftyone

This is news to me. I didn't realize the UN still existed.


12 posted on 02/02/2006 1:20:40 PM PST by TigerInSC
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To: TigerInSC

TigerinSC....


Clemson?


13 posted on 02/02/2006 1:22:45 PM PST by A Balrog of Morgoth (With fire, sword, and stinging whip I drive the RINOs in terror before me.)
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To: presidio9

Why do reasonable people continue to read the Guardian? Hasn't it shown itself, over and over again, to be what it is?


14 posted on 02/02/2006 1:25:42 PM PST by Continental Soldier
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To: presidio9
Mr Bush told the Mr Blair that the US was so worried about the failure to find hard evidence against Saddam that it thought of "flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours".

This is such a juvenile load of nonsense.

Bush was going to disguise our U2 planes to look those U2 aircraft the UN flies. This was to fool the Iraqis on the ground 70,000 feet below.

15 posted on 02/02/2006 1:26:14 PM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: presidio9
"flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours". Mr Bush added: "If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach [of UN resolutions]".

Think Saddam would have been stupid enough to think the UN had somehow gotten an Air Force to go along with their UNArmy and UNNavy?

Whoever wrote this crap is obviously stupid enough.

U2 with fighter escorts? Probably with White Rabbit pilots.

16 posted on 02/02/2006 1:28:09 PM PST by N. Theknow (Kennedys - Can't drive, can't fly, can't ski, can't skipper a boat - But they know what's best.)
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To: TigerInSC
The new UN (United Nitwits)

17 posted on 02/02/2006 1:28:14 PM PST by areafiftyone (Politicians Are Like Diapers, Both Need To Be Changed Often And For The Same Reason!)
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To: dead

Wasn't Saddam already firing SAMs at our fighters?


18 posted on 02/02/2006 1:31:08 PM PST by jaydubya2
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To: jaydubya2

Iraq shot down a predator on September 11, 2001.


19 posted on 02/02/2006 1:32:30 PM PST by presidio9 ("Bird Flu" is the new Y2K virus -only without the handy deadline.)
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To: dead

>>>Mr Bush told the Mr Blair that the US was so worried about the failure to find hard evidence against Saddam that it thought of "flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours".<<<

Riiiiiiiight... And this was because Saddam hadn't already violated enough of the sanctions?

Obviously the novelists at the Guardian think we're as dumb as they look.


20 posted on 02/02/2006 1:41:18 PM PST by snowrip (Liberal? YOU HAVE NO RATIONAL ARGUMENT. Actually, you lack even a legitimate excuse.)
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