Iraq Dossier = A Big Lie
Byrnzie
Posts: 21,037
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/ma ... se-for-war
Iraq dossier drawn up to make case for war – intelligence officer
Newly released evidence to Chilcot inquiry directly contradicts Blair government's claims about dossier
Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 12 May 2011
A top military intelligence official has said the discredited dossier on Iraq's weapons programme was drawn up "to make the case for war", flatly contradicting persistent claims to the contrary by the Blair government, and in particular by Alastair Campbell, the former prime minister's chief spin doctor.
In hitherto secret evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, Major General Michael Laurie says: "We knew at the time that the purpose of the dossier was precisely to make a case for war, rather than setting out the available intelligence, and that to make the best out of sparse and inconclusive intelligence the wording was developed with care."
His evidence is devastating, as it is the first time such a senior intelligence officer has directly contradicted the then government's claims about the dossier – and, perhaps more significantly, what Tony Blair and Campbell said when it was released seven months before the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Laurie, who was director general in the Defence Intelligence Staff, responsible for commanding and delivering raw and analysed intelligence, says: "I am writing to comment on the position taken by Alastair Campbell during his evidence to you … when he stated that the purpose of the dossier was not to make a case for war; I and those involved in its production saw it exactly as that, and that was the direction we were given."
He continues: "Alastair Campbell said to the inquiry that the purpose of the dossier was not 'to make a case for war'. I had no doubt at that time this was exactly its purpose and these very words were used."
Laurie said he recalled that the chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Marshal Sir Joe French, was "frequently inquiring whether we were missing something" and was under pressure. "We could find no evidence of planes, missiles or equipment that related to WMD [weapons of mass destruction], generally concluding that they must have been dismantled, buried or taken abroad. There has probably never been a greater detailed scrutiny of every piece of ground in any country."
The document is one of a number released by the Chilcot inquiry. They include top secret MI6 reports warning of the damage to British interests and the likelihood of terrorist attacks here if the UK joined the US-led invasion of Iraq.
However, a newly declassified document reveals that Sir Kevin Tebbit, then a top official at the Ministry of Defence, warned the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, in January 2003 that the US would "feel betrayed by their partner of choice" if Britain did not go along with the invasion.
Despite its concerns, MI6 told ministers before the invasion that toppling Saddam Hussein "remains a prize because it could give new security to oil supplies".
Laurie's memo raises questions about the role of Sir John Scarlett, chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, who later became head of MI6.
Iraq dossier drawn up to make case for war – intelligence officer
Newly released evidence to Chilcot inquiry directly contradicts Blair government's claims about dossier
Richard Norton-Taylor
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 12 May 2011
A top military intelligence official has said the discredited dossier on Iraq's weapons programme was drawn up "to make the case for war", flatly contradicting persistent claims to the contrary by the Blair government, and in particular by Alastair Campbell, the former prime minister's chief spin doctor.
In hitherto secret evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, Major General Michael Laurie says: "We knew at the time that the purpose of the dossier was precisely to make a case for war, rather than setting out the available intelligence, and that to make the best out of sparse and inconclusive intelligence the wording was developed with care."
His evidence is devastating, as it is the first time such a senior intelligence officer has directly contradicted the then government's claims about the dossier – and, perhaps more significantly, what Tony Blair and Campbell said when it was released seven months before the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Laurie, who was director general in the Defence Intelligence Staff, responsible for commanding and delivering raw and analysed intelligence, says: "I am writing to comment on the position taken by Alastair Campbell during his evidence to you … when he stated that the purpose of the dossier was not to make a case for war; I and those involved in its production saw it exactly as that, and that was the direction we were given."
He continues: "Alastair Campbell said to the inquiry that the purpose of the dossier was not 'to make a case for war'. I had no doubt at that time this was exactly its purpose and these very words were used."
Laurie said he recalled that the chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Marshal Sir Joe French, was "frequently inquiring whether we were missing something" and was under pressure. "We could find no evidence of planes, missiles or equipment that related to WMD [weapons of mass destruction], generally concluding that they must have been dismantled, buried or taken abroad. There has probably never been a greater detailed scrutiny of every piece of ground in any country."
The document is one of a number released by the Chilcot inquiry. They include top secret MI6 reports warning of the damage to British interests and the likelihood of terrorist attacks here if the UK joined the US-led invasion of Iraq.
However, a newly declassified document reveals that Sir Kevin Tebbit, then a top official at the Ministry of Defence, warned the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, in January 2003 that the US would "feel betrayed by their partner of choice" if Britain did not go along with the invasion.
Despite its concerns, MI6 told ministers before the invasion that toppling Saddam Hussein "remains a prize because it could give new security to oil supplies".
Laurie's memo raises questions about the role of Sir John Scarlett, chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, who later became head of MI6.
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so this just confirms what many of us on here have been saying for 8 years.
pretty sad....
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
And yet, you can be sure there won't be any real action to hold anyone to account for it.
And you can be sure that those who supported the war will find ways to sidestep it, so they can still hold on to their assertion that the invasion was somehow necessary and justified, and not the war crime we have long claimed it was, and that it is increasingly proving to be.
96: Cork, Dublin
00: Dublin
06: London, Dublin
07: London, Copenhagen, Nijmegen
09: Manchester, London
10: Dublin, Belfast, London & Berlin
11: San José
12: Isle of Wight, Copenhagen, Ed in Manchester & London x2
the above example is the exact same thing we did in iraq except on an exponentially larger scale. the guy who assaults another person gets to go to jail, while those responsible for war crimes, theft of resourses, and mass murder are never held accountable to anyone for anything. i guess the lesson here is if you are gonna commit a crime, the more victims = the least punishment.
fucking appalling...
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I still don't understand how regime change was supposed to improve oil security, but it does seem hypocritical given that his oil was already under foreign control through an oil-for-food program. Am I missing something?
once people fully grasp the why - that's when we hope to see some change ...
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I do love nitpicking...but come on...probably beaten by the cops? you are so dramatic it makes me want to set myself on fire :P
but I completely agree with your post, we should have left them alone until the danger was real and evident for everyone to see and if it never materialized we would never have been in the mess we caused there. The ends didn't justify the means in this case at all and it is sad that they just picked what they wanted to believe.
Ultimately it is up to us to elect better respresentatives...and unfortunately people on both sides of center and even those in the middle cannot be bothered to learn anything before they cast their vote based on whatever crazy notion they have that day.
This is why I am so surprised you want to keep giving more money to these idiots who do this shit....all of them do it, none of them are free of complicity in this...I realize you want to help people but these idiots only want more power...I do not believe they want to help anyone the way they claim...the only one I have ever believed in was Paul Wellstone. If you don't know much about him you should check into him a little bit...sad sad story and I giant loss to the country.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
i would have too.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
* Saddam's WMD's
* Christian crusade against the Muslims by Bush and Blair
* Oil
* Construction and military material profits
* Al Qaeda
* It's Stone's fault
* Saddam's WMD's - nope, as evidenced
* Christian crusade against the Muslims by Bush and Blair - hell no, i doubt either of them have read the bible
* Oil - yup
* Construction and military material profits - yup
* Al Qaeda - no al qaeda in iraq until post invasion
* It's Stone's fault - could be, will have to check his stock portfolio and see if he has carlysle group holdings
except for the stone part, of course...
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
As for Stone, the jury is still out. The Binaural tour ended in late 2000, which allowed enough time for him to have secret meetings with Rumsfield and Cheney to plan the invasion. It may have been a secret attempt by Stone to help motivate Ed's creative side and keep him focused on pumping out records. At the time, he may have had no idea on what the cost and toll would be. You never know ...
Maybe Stone figured that an invasion of U.S troops into Iraq would help introduce Pearl Jam's music to the Iraqi's? As it turned out, he was right, because wasn't it later revealed that Pearl Jam's music was just one of many bands whose music was played to prisoners at Abu Ghraib to prevent them sleeping?
*Takes Cover*
war = higher oil/gas prices ... bush is from texas ... from the oil industry ... where he has LOTS of friends ... cheney is from haliburton ... rumsfield was part of the carlysle group ... coincidentally, all those companies/industries benefited from a war widely accepted as based on lies ...
And Stone is a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
*Takes cover also*