I Feel Really Let Down!
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I Feel Really Let Down!
Tony Blair has upset me! Against my better judgement I trusted this man when he told us with a straight face, looked into our eyes on TV and said Iraq had Weopons of Mass Destruction! I believed him!
Now this:
Iraq arms hunter raises WMD doubts
By Fiona O'Brien
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - David Kay has quit as head of the U.S. hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq saying he does not believe they exist, but the White House says the search will go on.
U.S. President George W. Bush, seeking re-election in November with Iraq a burning campaign issue, urged the United Nations on Friday to make a quick decision on helping in Washington's planned handover of power to Iraqis in June.
" I don't think they existed "-U.S. former weapons inspector David Kay
Kay's statement and mounting Iraqi demands for elections as part of the handover raised the political stakes for Bush, who ordered U.S.-led forces to invade Iraq last March after accusing Saddam Hussein of possessing weapons of mass destruction.
"I don't think (weapons of mass destruction) existed," Kay, who had headed the Iraq Survey Group, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last (1991) Gulf War, and I don't think there was a large-scale production programme in the nineties."
WHITE HOUSE MAINTAINS STANCE
But White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "We remain confident that the Iraq Survey Group will uncover the truth about Saddam Hussein's regime, the regime's weapons of destruction programmes."
Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's closest ally on Iraq, also stuck by his stance weapons of mass destruction would eventually be found. "Our position is unchanged," said a spokesman for Blair.
Although Kay's departure had been expected, the manner of his going had not and opposition Democrats seized on his comments as the U.S. presidential election campaign warmed up.
"It increasingly appears that our intelligence was wrong about Iraq's weapons, and the administration compounded that mistake by exaggerating the nuclear threat and Iraq's ties to al Qaeda," said Senator John Rockefeller.
"As a result, the United States is paying a very heavy price," said Rockefeller.
The latest U.S. military deaths in Iraq occurred when two pilots were killed when their helicopter came down near the northern town of Qayara. The cause of the crash was unknown.
Since U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq in March, 505 U.S. soldiers have died, 349 of them in combat.
Washington blames guerrilla attacks on Saddam supporters and foreign Islamic militants, but says the number of raids has declined since the former Iraqi president's capture in December.
U.S. FORCES CAPTURE TOP GUERRILLA
U.S. officials said U.S. Special Forces had captured a leading figure in Ansar al-Islam, a guerrilla group operating in Iraq that Washington says has ties to al Qaeda.
Husam al-Yemeni was seized during an operation last week near the town of Fallujah, about 30 miles (50 km) west of Baghdad, said one official.
"There's a strong possibility that this guy was involved in some of the major attacks in Iraq," the official said.
Ahmad Chalabi, a member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council who has had close ties to the Bush administration, became the latest leading figure in Iraq to call for direct elections before Washington hands over power.
He said a U.S. plan for indirect elections through caucuses was a "sure fire way to have instability" because it could produce weak leaders who were not representative of Iraqis.
The United States wants regional caucuses to appoint a transitional government to steer Iraq to full elections in 2005.
Iraq's majority Shi'ite Muslims, repressed under Saddam's three decades of iron rule, have staged mass demonstrations to demand elections that could give them greater representation in a country with a volatile mix of religious and ethnic groups.
The United States says it would be difficult to organise polls before June due to a lack of electoral registers and laws.
Washington, which had previously resisted any major U.N. role in postwar Iraq, is pressing the United Nations to send teams to Baghdad to study the feasibility of holding elections and other options. The Governing Council also wants the U.N.
"We're hoping for a quick response from the United Nations to the request," said McClellan.
U.S. officials were optimistic U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan would send a team. Annan, travelling in Europe, is expected to announce his decision as early as Monday.
The U.N. said a two-member security team had arrived in Iraq to liase with U.S.-led authorities on any future return of its international staff. It pulled out of Iraq in October after two bomb attacks killed 22 people at its Baghdad headquarters.
Now this:
Iraq arms hunter raises WMD doubts
By Fiona O'Brien
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - David Kay has quit as head of the U.S. hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq saying he does not believe they exist, but the White House says the search will go on.
U.S. President George W. Bush, seeking re-election in November with Iraq a burning campaign issue, urged the United Nations on Friday to make a quick decision on helping in Washington's planned handover of power to Iraqis in June.
" I don't think they existed "-U.S. former weapons inspector David Kay
Kay's statement and mounting Iraqi demands for elections as part of the handover raised the political stakes for Bush, who ordered U.S.-led forces to invade Iraq last March after accusing Saddam Hussein of possessing weapons of mass destruction.
"I don't think (weapons of mass destruction) existed," Kay, who had headed the Iraq Survey Group, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last (1991) Gulf War, and I don't think there was a large-scale production programme in the nineties."
WHITE HOUSE MAINTAINS STANCE
But White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "We remain confident that the Iraq Survey Group will uncover the truth about Saddam Hussein's regime, the regime's weapons of destruction programmes."
Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush's closest ally on Iraq, also stuck by his stance weapons of mass destruction would eventually be found. "Our position is unchanged," said a spokesman for Blair.
Although Kay's departure had been expected, the manner of his going had not and opposition Democrats seized on his comments as the U.S. presidential election campaign warmed up.
"It increasingly appears that our intelligence was wrong about Iraq's weapons, and the administration compounded that mistake by exaggerating the nuclear threat and Iraq's ties to al Qaeda," said Senator John Rockefeller.
"As a result, the United States is paying a very heavy price," said Rockefeller.
The latest U.S. military deaths in Iraq occurred when two pilots were killed when their helicopter came down near the northern town of Qayara. The cause of the crash was unknown.
Since U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq in March, 505 U.S. soldiers have died, 349 of them in combat.
Washington blames guerrilla attacks on Saddam supporters and foreign Islamic militants, but says the number of raids has declined since the former Iraqi president's capture in December.
U.S. FORCES CAPTURE TOP GUERRILLA
U.S. officials said U.S. Special Forces had captured a leading figure in Ansar al-Islam, a guerrilla group operating in Iraq that Washington says has ties to al Qaeda.
Husam al-Yemeni was seized during an operation last week near the town of Fallujah, about 30 miles (50 km) west of Baghdad, said one official.
"There's a strong possibility that this guy was involved in some of the major attacks in Iraq," the official said.
Ahmad Chalabi, a member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council who has had close ties to the Bush administration, became the latest leading figure in Iraq to call for direct elections before Washington hands over power.
He said a U.S. plan for indirect elections through caucuses was a "sure fire way to have instability" because it could produce weak leaders who were not representative of Iraqis.
The United States wants regional caucuses to appoint a transitional government to steer Iraq to full elections in 2005.
Iraq's majority Shi'ite Muslims, repressed under Saddam's three decades of iron rule, have staged mass demonstrations to demand elections that could give them greater representation in a country with a volatile mix of religious and ethnic groups.
The United States says it would be difficult to organise polls before June due to a lack of electoral registers and laws.
Washington, which had previously resisted any major U.N. role in postwar Iraq, is pressing the United Nations to send teams to Baghdad to study the feasibility of holding elections and other options. The Governing Council also wants the U.N.
"We're hoping for a quick response from the United Nations to the request," said McClellan.
U.S. officials were optimistic U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan would send a team. Annan, travelling in Europe, is expected to announce his decision as early as Monday.
The U.N. said a two-member security team had arrived in Iraq to liase with U.S.-led authorities on any future return of its international staff. It pulled out of Iraq in October after two bomb attacks killed 22 people at its Baghdad headquarters.
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cic old boy
- Flying Eagle
- Posts: 64227
- Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2003 7:59 pm
Even though I didnt believe the WMD thing, I have had the utmost regard for Tony Blair from the time he took over britain. He is a man of principle and I really do respect him. I cannot allow the hawks in the Bush admin. to make me dislike him. Tony Blair did what he did because he believed the intel. being passed to him by some hawks in the bush administration. And he didnt turn his back on Bush even when he so easily could have. Even the italys and pollands of this world that came on board only did so because the brits were on board.
I still have a lot of regard for Tony Blair and he is still one of the best leaders around. PERIOD. I used to tell my friends that if it was possible to import him into Nigeria, I would immediately do it.
The people we should be castigating are Rumsfeld and the hawk himself, d#$% Cheney.....and possibly Bush for very weak leadership. I could support Bush for a second term just as long as these 2 go.
The problem with Bush is what some of us saw in 2000. Bush knew very little about the world at large(and many other things, if I may say) and his defense was that he would surround himself with knwoledgebale people.....and he has....but these folks have different agendas that they want to see executed.
If you dont know anything about gravity, I can tell you that if you jump up with all your strength, you would reach mars.
I am not trying to excuse Bush, because I know the ultimate responsibility is his own, but I dont think he is mean by himself.
I still have a lot of regard for Tony Blair and he is still one of the best leaders around. PERIOD. I used to tell my friends that if it was possible to import him into Nigeria, I would immediately do it.
The people we should be castigating are Rumsfeld and the hawk himself, d#$% Cheney.....and possibly Bush for very weak leadership. I could support Bush for a second term just as long as these 2 go.
The problem with Bush is what some of us saw in 2000. Bush knew very little about the world at large(and many other things, if I may say) and his defense was that he would surround himself with knwoledgebale people.....and he has....but these folks have different agendas that they want to see executed.
If you dont know anything about gravity, I can tell you that if you jump up with all your strength, you would reach mars.
I am not trying to excuse Bush, because I know the ultimate responsibility is his own, but I dont think he is mean by himself.
If purge dey worry you, you no dey select toilet
By the way, even tho I like Wesley Clark A LOT, I think his problem is similar to Bush's. Clark doesnt know very much about domestic issues.....he reads prepared speeches and you can see that his heart is not in most things he says (apart from defense and security issues)
If purge dey worry you, you no dey select toilet
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cic old boy
- Flying Eagle
- Posts: 64227
- Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2003 7:59 pm
Principle is not something I would associate with B-Liar. The man has made a career out of bare-faced lies and U-turns. There is even a website dedicated to all his lies and apparent lack of principle.
A few e.gs:
He lied that he used to support Newcastle United and stood in the terraces cheering Jackie Milburn. But Milburn played before B-Liar was born.
He lies about being English. His father is Scottish and he was born in Scotland.
When in 1988 several MPs passed a motion to condemn Saddam's use of gas in Halabja, B-Liar refused to support it. Saddam was "our" friend then.
B-Liar is constantly reminded of all the things he said while in opposition and how they are in direct contrast to his current statements/policies.
The first thing he did when he got in was to adjust a Labour policy against tobacco advertising in sports to exempt Formula 1 - immediately after Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone had donated £1m to his party.
His current troubles over top-up tuition fees could lead to his downfall - he has gone against a clear manifesto commitment that they wouldn't introduce those fees.
The biggest lie by a career liar was that Saddam was a threat to the West.
To conceal the lie he is now trying to suggest he was deceived by the "intelligence". But this doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The Hutton inquiry has shown that the intelligence was very ambiguous and it was B-Liar and co who "hardened" it to remove all uncertainty in order to justify a decision taken a long time ago to invade Iraq.
He lied about not knowing that his wife had spent £500k on a couple of flats for his son in Bristol.
He lied that he had nothing to do with the leaking of the scientist Dr Kelly's name to the media. Evidence in the Hutton inquiry has shown he was chairing meetings when it was decided to leak the name.
It is not surprising that most opinion polls in the UK indicate trust in B-Liar has reached an all-time low. Most people have rumbled this man as the fake that he is and have sussed out that he is a poor actor as well.
A few e.gs:
He lied that he used to support Newcastle United and stood in the terraces cheering Jackie Milburn. But Milburn played before B-Liar was born.
He lies about being English. His father is Scottish and he was born in Scotland.
When in 1988 several MPs passed a motion to condemn Saddam's use of gas in Halabja, B-Liar refused to support it. Saddam was "our" friend then.
B-Liar is constantly reminded of all the things he said while in opposition and how they are in direct contrast to his current statements/policies.
The first thing he did when he got in was to adjust a Labour policy against tobacco advertising in sports to exempt Formula 1 - immediately after Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone had donated £1m to his party.
His current troubles over top-up tuition fees could lead to his downfall - he has gone against a clear manifesto commitment that they wouldn't introduce those fees.
The biggest lie by a career liar was that Saddam was a threat to the West.
To conceal the lie he is now trying to suggest he was deceived by the "intelligence". But this doesn't stand up to scrutiny. The Hutton inquiry has shown that the intelligence was very ambiguous and it was B-Liar and co who "hardened" it to remove all uncertainty in order to justify a decision taken a long time ago to invade Iraq.
He lied about not knowing that his wife had spent £500k on a couple of flats for his son in Bristol.
He lied that he had nothing to do with the leaking of the scientist Dr Kelly's name to the media. Evidence in the Hutton inquiry has shown he was chairing meetings when it was decided to leak the name.
It is not surprising that most opinion polls in the UK indicate trust in B-Liar has reached an all-time low. Most people have rumbled this man as the fake that he is and have sussed out that he is a poor actor as well.
Last edited by cic old boy on Mon Jan 26, 2004 11:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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cchinukw
- Eaglet
- Posts: 37461
- Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2003 1:27 pm
- Location: Displaced Naija. Don't bother
On a serious note, has anyone noticed the disturbing similarities between Babangida and Tony Blair. Their Maradona smile na the same, they both get 9 lives and are also long on promises and short on delivery.
If that is the case UK is in for hard times ahead. Let's pray say Mr. Blair no go winchi us.
If that is the case UK is in for hard times ahead. Let's pray say Mr. Blair no go winchi us.
MAGA - Make Arsenal Great Again.
Mind that father made collection of Scifi and fantasy stories
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-That-Father-Made/dp/1907652051
Mind that father made collection of Scifi and fantasy stories
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-That-Father-Made/dp/1907652051