« Friday Document Dump - June 3, 2005 edition | Main | "SCLM, call holding, line 2" »
June 04, 2005
New Bolton Revelations Confirm Gist of Downing Street Memo
A new AP story reveals that John Bolton, that paragon of tact and diplomacy who has been nominated by Bush to be our nation's ambassador to the U.N., once engineered the ouster of a respected international chemical weapons inspector. Given the many stories we have heard about Bolton's mistreatment of colleagues and subordinates who disagreed with him, as well as descriptions of his disdain for multilateral institutions such as the U.N., this is not surprising. However, buried in the AP story is this gem:
"A former Bolton deputy says the U.S. undersecretary of state felt Jose Bustani 'had to go,' particularly because the Brazilian was trying to send chemical weapons inspectors to Baghdad. That might have helped defuse the crisis over alleged Iraqi weapons and undermined a U.S. rationale for war." (See full AP story at Yahoo News.)
In other words, the Downing Street Memo's assertions about the "fixing" of intelligence to fit the Bush Administration's pre-ordained plans for war were true. This inspector, who had a reputation for integrity, would have reported that Bush's and Cheney's allegations about Saddam's chemical weapons capabilities were pure hyperbole ... so, presto ... no more inspector.
Those who are appalled at the continued lack of in-depth coverage of the Downing Street Memo and related stories by the mainstream media should certainly visit the DowningStreetMemo.com website for more info, as well as sign Rep. Conyers's letter. (See Lyn's earlier post.)
Another website represents several progressive organizations engaged in organizing a Congressional Resolution of Inquiry, the first step toward a formal investigation, and toward impeachment, if the investigation so warrants: AfterDowningStreet.org.
This new site is essential for those who would like to hold Bush accountable for the conduct outlined in the Downing Street Memo.
Posted by at June 4, 2005 11:59 PM | Permalink
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.houstondemocrats.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/285