The Downing Street Two-Step

The Downing Street Memo is big news everyplace else BUT in the United States. Here, it has been more of a slow drip. But it's threatening to pour.

Bush and Blair were forced to officially deny the charges yesterday. This is a step in the right direction. Up until now, Bush has IGNORED the charges.

And the denials of Bush and Blair were extremely unconvincing and clearly rehearsed.

BLAIR: No, the facts were not being fixed in any shape or form at all. And let me remind you that that memorandum was written before we then went to the United Nations.

BUSH: ...somebody said, Well, you know, we had made up our mind to go to use military force to deal with Saddam. There’s nothing farther from the truth...this meeting, evidently it took place in London, happened before we even went to the United Nations – or I went to the United Nations.

Obviously, they compared notes and agreed on what to say before the conference. And the excuse is obviously a red herring anyway: So WHAT if the meeting took place before they went to the United Nations? If they had determined to go to war before even GOING to the United Nations, that makes it even worse. It means the whole UN thing was pure PR, and they had no real intention of allowing anything the UN did to stop the war, anyway. It was for show.

And their own actions lend creedence to this idea. It is the fact that Bolton got Bistani - a U.N. diplomat - fired BECAUSE Bistani was in danger of finding a peaceful solution.

And Bush - once again - cited UN Resolution 1441 as his excuse.

And so we worked hard to see if we could figure out how to do this peacefully, take a -- put a united front up to Saddam Hussein, and say, the world speaks, and he ignored the world. Remember, 1441 passed the Security Council unanimously. He made the decision. And the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power.

He keeps trying to blame the UN for HIS decision, when the UN specifically told him NOT to.

Needless to say, Bush's excuse is total crap:

Resolution 1441 is the resolution that says that Hussein had to allow UN inspectors into the country to inspect for weapons. And he did. The UN gave him until November 15th to comply, and he allowed them in on November 13th. When Bush made the PUBLIC decision to invade Iraq, the inspectors were in the country, and they left because Bush was about to attack.


That's easily checkable fact. Forgotten by the Orwellian mouthpieces in the press and the administration: when Hussein allowed the Weapons Inspectors in - complying with the UN - Bush CHANGED his demands and changed his ultimatum: he said Saddam had to leave the country or he would attack. But Hussein leaving the country is mentioned NOWHERE in UN Security Council Resolution 1441. Nowhere. But don't expect the press to mention it: they don't report, they take dictation. Unless some high-level Democrat stands up and publicly says that Bush's statements about the weapons inspectors are FALSE it will not get into the press. Which is why some Democrat HAS to say it. Hillary? Biden? Dean? ANYbody? Contradict this clown when he lies. PLEASE. It's the ONLY way that the information becomes public. You CAN'T expect the press to hold him accountable. They won't.