"You Rang?"
Posted on 02/02/2006 1:06:52 PM PST by HAL9000
Revealed: Bush and Blair discussed using American Spyplane in UN colours to lure Saddam into war.Channel 4 News tonight reveals extraordinary details of George Bush and Tony Blair's pre-war meeting in January 2003 at which they discussed plans to begin military action on March 10th 2003, irrespective of whether the United Nations had passed a new resolution authorising the use of force.
Channel 4 News has seen minutes from that meeting, which took place in the White House on 31 January 2003. The two leaders discussed the possibility of securing further UN support, but President Bush made it clear that he had already decided to go to war. The details are contained in a new version of the book 'Lawless World' written by a leading British human rights lawyer, Philippe Sands QC.
President Bush said that:
"The US would put its full weight behind efforts to get another resolution and would 'twist arms' and 'even threaten'. But he had to say that if ultimately we failed, military action would follow anyway.''
Prime Minister Blair responded that he was: "solidly with the President and ready to do whatever it took to disarm Saddam."
But Mr Blair said that: "a second Security Council resolution would provide an insurance policy against the unexpected, and international cover, including with the Arabs."
Mr Sands' book says that the meeting focused on the need to identify evidence that Saddam had committed a material breach of his obligations under the existing UN Resolution 1441. There was concern that insufficient evidence had been unearthed by the UN inspection team, led by Dr Hans Blix. Other options were considered.
President Bush said: "The US was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours. If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach."
He went on: "It was also possible that a defector could be brought out who would give a public presentation about Saddams WMD, and there was also a small possibility that Saddam would be assassinated."
Speaking to Channel 4 News, Mr Sands said:
"I think no one would be surprised at the idea that the use of spy-planes to review what is going on would be considered. What is surprising is the idea that they would be used painted in the colours of the United Nations in order to provoke an attack which could then be used to justify material breach. Now that plainly looks as if it is deception, and it raises some fundamental questions of legality, both in terms of domestic law and international law."
Also present at the meeting were President Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleeza Rice and her deputy Dan Fried, and the Presidents Chief of Staff, Andrew Card. The Prime Minister took with him his then security adviser Sir David Manning, his Foreign Policy aide Matthew Rycroft, and and his chief of staff, Jonathan Powell.
Those present, as documented in Mr Sands' book, also discussed what might happen in Iraq after liberation.
President Bush said that he: "thought it unlikely that there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups."
Where's that "Not this shit again" graphic?
Courtesy of Kinkos in Texas no doubt...
Where do they keep digging this stuff up from?
The details are contained in a new version of the book 'Lawless World' written by a leading British human rights lawyer, Philippe Sands QC.
The UN doesn't have a copyright on the color blue.
Which is, by the way, the color of the sky!
Where's Brokaw?
Fake but Accurate!
This article is blogged in The Guardian's "News blog" which features open comments (no registration required). I have already freeped it, and I suggest everyone else do the same:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/news/archives/2006/02/02/the_white_house_meeting_that_took_us_to_war.html
Well...this ought to entertain the DUmmies for a little while and then when nothing comes of it, they'll sport their usual crest-fallen face and then mumble about conspiricies and stolen elections...really a cycle that just keeps repeating itself...
More like, why do they keep MAKING this stuff up.
The newest title in the Oprah "Fake but Accurate" book club...
"You Rang?"
Is there such a thing as "UN support" anyway? Isn`t that an oxymoron? I know they support eating money and support giving France a stage to make pretend it is important, but what else?
I believe it's true that Bush and Blair were prepared to act against Saddam regardless of UN opinion. They decided correctly.
A powder blue SR-71 would be interesting.
Sweeps week again?
Even Sodomy would have known the only spy planes the UN has are powered by rubber bands and have balsawood wings.
- Revealed: Bush and Blair discussed using American Spyplane in UN colours to lure Saddam into war.
- Revealed: Clinton and Blair discussed how Clinton could bypass the 2nd Amendment and confiscate all firearms in America.
- Revealed: FDR and Churchill conspired on how to ship armaments to the UK in spite of the U.S. Neutrality Act - and then FDR did just that (among other High Crimes and Misdemeanors committed prior to 12-7-41).
Wait, I don't recall the second two being "news"? Oh well..... they are non the less - TRUE.
"President Bush said: "The US was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours. If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach."
LOL-
Sure that's what he said - simply ignoring the fact that the UN might actually realize " Hey, we don't own any of those " when they see the film.
BS.
what bunk........a human rights lawyer to boot.
"The US was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours. " ??
LOL ... The US and UN didn't just "think" about it. Heck, they DID it. It was reported. The Iraqis even agreed to let the UN fly U2s. This is a repackaged old-news/new-news/ news story.
http://www.iraqwatch.org/government/Iraq/INA/iraq-ina-u2-021903.htm
"seen minutes" but does not have them.
So there is no way to know if the documents are fake.
The MSM is learning. Undocumented inuendo can not be disproven.
While we now have the technical capability to send a U-2 plane placed at our disposal for aerial imagery and for surveillance during inspections and have informed Iraq that we planned to do so, Iraq has refused to guarantee its safety, unless a number of conditions are fulfilled. As these conditions went beyond what is stipulated in resolution 1441 (2002) and what was practiced by UNSCOM and Iraq in the past, we note that Iraq is not so far complying with our request. I hope this attitude will change.
IOW, this story is bunk, the UN planned to send a U2.
What is wrong with that? Isn't that what happened anyway? the United Nations failed to do anything. We led, along with the few allies who were willing.
The Downing Street Memo has run it's course. Time for a new set of nonsense from the left.
Well done!
Did Saddam even have anything that could have hit a spy plane?
Additionally, U2s don't fly with fighter cover. They fly high enough that they don't need it. Also, Hussein had already been firing on US and British aircraft in the no-fly zone very regularly. Why involve a U2?
Thanks, that falls in line with my post #28, where Blix mentioned the U2 capability on Jan 27th to the UN Security Council. These people are idiots to think we would swallow a story like this without doing our research. Poor DUmmies, they are going to be drooling over this just to find out that they slipped and fell in their own spit again.
This actually is a little damning against the credibility of this document as Saddam has been in breach by firing on US aircraft since 92. We didn't need the UN aircraft to prove this breach.
Excellent point. But it gets even worse for this story: how exactly would fighters provide "cover" for a U2? The U2 operates at altitudes that are in excess of what fighters can fly! This story makes no sense at all.
I am with you, just curious, isn't the F111a's ceiling around the U2's 70k?
"Where do they keep digging this stuff up from?"
Downing Street and, especially, the Foreign Office leak like sieves...
A quick Google search shows the F-111 ceiling was 60k'+... and it isn't exactly what what you'd use in a Fighter "cover" role (it's more of a Fighter-Bomber)
BTW, one variant of the U2 was rated to 90k' +. I'm guessing the emphasis in the U2s is on the "+"...
"The Prime Minister took with him his then security adviser Sir David Manning, his Foreign Policy aide Matthew Rycroft, and and his chief of staff, Jonathan Powell."
Matthew Rycroft was the author of the minutes refered to in the media as the Downing Street Memo, his name seems to crop up quite a lot in these things.
Thanks.. considering those are published numbers, then I'm sure you can add another 10-20k on that.
I agree and I am actually glad you used the curse word which is normally not allowed but I am glad that you were able to keep it. This is crazy!!!!!! I am so sick of this nonsense. I think four years of this BS is ridiculous.
Only in a conflict between neutral parties does the "first blood drawn" theory applied. (Cowboys and Indians, one group of protesters against another, etc)
I couldn't give a (r@p if Uncle Sam gave Saddam psychoactive drugs that makes him think that Gremlins will come in and steal WMDs and beat him up in a pinata if he submits to UN inspection.
Some people just need killing.
How come they don't discuss the memos about George's sex life??? Or the memos of what he ate for breakfast last Thursday???
Does someone really write down everything the President says???
I'm thinkin' if I was the President, I would suggest the memo writer leave the room during private war conversations (and sex with the wife)...
Yeah. Like, I remember reading about the UN U2 flights years ago. It was easy to Google an article about it. So, what we have here is:
1. The US loaned a U2 to the UN for a flight over Iraq and it was in the Press.
2. The Iraqis knew about it ahead of time. Iraq Ok'ed the flight.... and that was also in the Press.
3. A Journalist, 3 years later, is stunned to find out that Bush and Blair talked about the flight and the consequenses for Iraq if Iraq took a pot shot at it.
Like, so what? [shrug] I would be stunned if Bush and Blair hadn't discussed the consequenses. LOL ... Now, THAT would be News!
"The US was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours. If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach."
Must have pretty sharp eyes to see the markings on a plane flying 90,000 feet above you.
I'm not normally inclined to the use of foul language except in situations that warrant extreme responses. In this case, it's a matter of the relentless attack by the MSM to denigrate the Bush administration.
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