How the war was spun (secret draft of the UK WMD dossier)

Source: new statesman

The Foreign Office has been ordered to release an early secret draft of the WMD dossier. Chris Ames says it will reveal a deliberate attempt to exaggerate the danger

The Information Tribunal's decision to order the Foreign Office to release a secret early draft of the dossier on Saddam Hussein's "weapons of mass destruction" is offering new insights into how the government spun the case for war.

In particular, it has become clear that the false claim that Iraq had "purchased" uranium originated in this secret draft, written by the FO press adviser John Williams. While we wait for the FO to publish the document, MPs have called on the government to come clean about the uranium claim and the precise role the Williams draft played in making the case for war.

...

The draft dossier that immediately followed Williams's version, drawn up by John Scarlett, then head of the Joint Intelligence Committee, claimed that Iraq had actually purchased uranium. By the time of the final WMD dossier, published in September 2002, this had been watered down to say that Iraq had "sought" uranium from Africa, and was cited as evidence that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons.

...

The US withdrew the uranium claim after Wilson's reve lation, but Tony Blair insisted that Britain had separate intelligence. Lord Butler's review of pre-war intelligence described the dossier's uranium claim as "well-founded", based on intelligence it had seen. In fact, the New Statesman can now report that the intelligence was from Italy - the source also for the US intelligence that led to Wilson's Africa trip.


Read more: http://www.newstatesman.com/200801310011

Blair just gave bush what be asked for to get his war on and Straw made sure it was possible. How they could have thought it would never be exposed is a mystery.

get over it :shrug:

Even after they've been exposed there really isn't anyone holding them accountable for their actions.

Part of me wants to hold out hope that will change at some point in the future. The rest of me is too busy screaming in frustration to hope.

edit: p.s. Ha! And one more time, just below... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3163728#3164570

new meaning on reciprocal. The favors, man. The favors. Did our kids in. All those refugees, exiles, graves, heads chopped, torture, rights denial. Tha favors back and forth, back and forth.

For the benefactors, corporatations, foundations, societies, barons. And how about the stockholders, money launderers, lobbyists, palm up recipients, vote buyers and sellers. Not innocent.

The ultimate in lies and theft - more than we've known in our history.

If they'll believe you.
:kick:

Good find.

Josh Marshall and Laura Rosen revealed all this, plus the source of the info, a very dodgy guy, at least two years ago, if not more.

How much evidence? How many times? how many places do we have to see that this man LIED TO GET HIS OIL FOR HIS BUSINESS FRIENDS will it take for the "shock and stun" to wear off and the "f"uc&-in pi$$ed off, and ready for blood and tears" to kick in?

and :kick:

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"Premeditated WAR = MURDER"


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n/t

because it wouldn't take much to impeach the chimperor. Just a little look guys. But no. That is off the table. GWBushit is a war criminal and so is dickless cheney. They all are but it seems that if the crime is big enough you don't do the time. Great, this teaches my kids that crime, big crime, really does pay. What a country.

what's Tony Blair doing these days/where is he?

the WMDs were secreted off to Syria just prior to Shrub's invasion. And they'll just close their ears to the above evidence, if ever presented to them. So I don't waste my time with them about realities they can't handle. It's like talking to a garden slug and expecting an enlightened response.

There are probably still tens of millions of Americans living under that same rock.

in the SOTU. It wasn't Niger it was Africa. And the warmonger in chief was careful to say Britain says. So, it's not like it was a lie. It was more like a conspiracy. No big deal. Move along now. Next fleecing. Next river of blood for the fatcats.