'Devastating' Secret Papers Reveal Pre-War Iraq Warnings

[InfoMinister]

It's probably already been posted but...

Secret papers show Blair was warned of Iraq chaos
By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent
(Filed: 18/09/2004)

Tony Blair was warned a year before invading Iraq that a stable post-war government would be impossible without keeping large numbers of troops there for "many years", secret government papers reveal.

The documents, seen by The Telegraph, show more clearly than ever the grave reservations expressed by Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, over the consequences of a second Gulf war and how prescient his Foreign Office officials were in predicting the ensuing chaos.

Out of focus: Bush's grudge match war in Iraq

They told the Prime Minister that there was a risk of the Iraqi system "reverting to type" after a war, with a future government acquiring the very weapons of mass destruction that an attack would be designed to remove....

- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/18/nwar18.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/09/18/ixportaltop.html

Also, here's another one that's more detailed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/18/nwar118.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/18/ixnewstop.html

[InfoMinister]

1. Some Quotes From The Articles

"Mr Bush had reportedly told one aide: "F*** Saddam. We're taking him out".

Looks like Cheney isn't the only one with a filthy mouth :D

Anyway, here are the best parts for "talking points" or whatever the hell you want to call them. These are from a government document so I'll just edit the parts out that were added from the article.


....'"There was increasing pressure within the administration to invade Iraq and it had less to do with the War on Terror than a desire to finish the job that the president's father had begun in the Gulf War.

"The success of Operation Enduring Freedom, distrust of UN sanctions and inspection regimes, and unfinished business from 1991 are all factors,"

What it said about legal justification for war"Subject to law officers' advice, none currently exists,"

"There was no greater threat that Saddam would use chemical or biological weapons now than there had been at any time in the recent past; regime change had no basis in international law;"....

..." and there was no evidence that Iraq was backing international terrorism that might justify an action based on self-defence, as in Afghanistan, the options paper said.

"This makes moving quickly to invade legally very difficult."

"Washington believes the legal basis for an attack on Iraq already exists,"

"Nor will it necessarily be governed by wider political factors. The US may be willing to work with a much smaller coalition than we think desirable."

Blair should "consider a staged approach, establishing international support, building up pressure on Saddam, and developing military plans."

[Moderator]

2. Please edit your post to 4 paragraphs

Democratic Underground is very serious about copyright issues.:)..

Thanks

[InfoMinister]

3. Cited Sources

I always thought it was legal if you cite the sources. Haven't posted an article before so I'll change it.

[Moderator]

4. You an post the link and others will click it..

Welcome to DU.. :hi:.. Glad to have you here..Interesting article too :)

[InfoMinister]

5. So Interesting It Needs To Be Bumped

I think this info needs to get out to more people. It's some pretty damning stuff. Anyone want to help out and send it to some media outlets?

[Eloriel]

6. And another

:kick:

[InfoMinister]

13. And Another

[leftchick]

7. this totally weirds me out.....

All of us here on DU knew about this BEFORE the illegal invasion of Iraq. WTF? They are just catching up now?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. Out of Iraq Now kick.

Illegal, immoral, and just plain stupid, waste of lives.

[KT2000]

9. Wolfowitz the hardliner

Where do we get to the part where the administration screwed Blair and didn't "make it legal" for him to jump into this war?

"The following day, Sunday, March 17, the US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, was invited to lunch at the British ambassador's residence.

Mr Wolfowitz was the most hard-line of those within the administration advocating an attack on Iraq, one of the key players the British would have to win over if they were to have a chance of persuading the Americans to wait for the UN backing Mr Blair needed to sell another American war to Britain."

This article needs to be kicked! The second one is the best.

[InfoMinister]

10. It Got On Yahoo's UK News

Somebody posted it on the Kerry board.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040918/325/f2ud3.html

[Jacobin]

11. And now Britain withdrawing one-third of its combat troops from Iraq

The "coalition" certainly is shriveling up quickly. "English Surrender Monkeys"? No more English muffins?

Gee, reality finally catching up with the criminals.

[lostnfound]

12. A kick and a welcome for a newbie! nt