Guest blogged by David Edwards of Veredictum.com
Video in Streaming Flash format…
Video in Windows Media format…
Audio in MP3 format…
Prompted by a new report in The New York Times, MSNBC’s Hardball takes a fresh look at a history of the Iraq war through the lens of a January 31, 2003 memo detailing a White House meeting between Bush and Blair.
This video begins with a report by David Shuster that weighs possible repercussions of The Memo against the increasing violence in Iraq and President Bush’s low standing in the polls.
Chris Matthews interviews writer Phillippe Sands whose recent book, “Lawless World”, exposes more pre-war lies. According to The Times, Mr. Sands “is a professor of international law at University College of London and the founding member of the Matrix law office in London, where the prime minister’s wife, Cherie Blair, is a partner.”
Matthews and Sands take the opportunity to pile on The President. Even Matthews’ questions to Sands appear to be clear indictments of The Presidents actions:
What is the significance of that? That he made the decision–as recorded by David Manning who was working for the Prime Minister at the time–before either of those events occurred . The U.N. presentation which was apparently to sell Europe of the fact that there were weapons of mass destruction and the completion of the weapons inspections themselves. Both were not waited for. The President decided before then. So did Tony Blair apparently.
The January 31, 2003 memo is consistent with the July 2002 “Downing Street” Memos where British officials expressed concern that Bush had already decided to go to invade Iraq and that “intelligence was being fixed around the policy” to meet that goal.
Phillippe Sands describes yet another memo that recorded a meeting between Colin Powell and his British counterpart Jack Straw. In this memo, Colin Powell explains that, in his view, “if there wasn’t enough evidence for a second [U.N.] Security Council resolution then there wasn’t enough evidence to justify the U.S. going it alone.”
In an attempt to find the earliest hints of a desire among the Bush team to attack Iraq, Matthews references a new book, “Cobra II”, by Bernard Trainer:
Ok, here’s what Cohen received: a call from the Vice President [elect], Cheney. Here’s what he said: He said that [Cheney] wanted to see one thing. He did not want to see a tour of the world and all of the potential threats to our country. He wanted to get a briefing for the new President, his partner George W. Bush, on one topic. Iraq. That’s all he wanted.
And I talked to Bill Cohen a number of times on this and he said that it was breathtaking. All the Vice President wanted to know about — he didn’t care about the world; all around the globe — the only thing he cared about was Iraq. He was already honing in on that decision in December of 2000. What does that tell you?
David
Good eye. I was asking my lady as we watched, "am I hearing this correctly … did you hear what they said"?
It was no holds barred.
And right on the money!!!
Keep it coming Chris Matthews, you have the proper direction now. The rogue regime needs to be tamed before they do more damage.
Chris Matthews is not a respectable journalist in my view and has been too unquestioning of this Administration since the war on Iraq began. To provide him praise now (or for that matter the NYT) is just silly. He will change direction or change the subject–that is what I predict. But I hope I am wrong.
It is amazing that Bush can lie and lie and lie and yet America sits passively by — where is the outrage? This will be the biggest question that historians will have to analyze in the future – how could a modern people be so complacent, sit idly by, and do nothing?
Bush should have been impeached 3 years ago.
GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE AFRAID OF THE PEOPLE
PEOPLE SHOULD NOT FEAR THE GOVERNMENT
V 4 Vendetta
Chris Matthews has always covered for Bush in the past. He blew off the Downing Street Memo on his show.
Why is he suddenly doing a 360 & being, apparently, real?
Maybe since most people now do not believe Bush nor like him, Matthews figures there’s nothing to cover up anymore–especially since so one is going to do anything about it?
I don’t know.
Charlene: Exactly! Where have these people been all these years??? What’s going on???
Harsh Words for Bush from "The Unit"’s Tech Advisor
Matthews’ U-turn can, I believe, be directly ascribed to the boycott of Hardball that lovers of the truth have imposed for several months. Imagine the heart attacks of the advertisers! And I think that’s what’s happening at CNN too. They might be waking up to the fact that, since the truth is readily available on the web, their fictions and obfuscations won’t sell over the air any longer.
Its poll driven infotainment, thats all
Polls=$$$$
It absolutely amazes me that each time a lie comes out…for a day or two everyone is shocked then the media and the public close their eyes again !
Over and over people are saying "we can’t stand 3 more years of this administration." And over and over nothing changes.
How can sane, intelligent people deny what this administration has done and is doing over and over.
Just last week, we heard "NO President wants to go to war." Well that is just Bull Shit, the facts are telling us Bush wanted to from day 1.
Peg C. and Floridiot have it right. Matthews loves to go back and forth on an issue…he’ll take one side the first day, the opposite side the next. He’s like a wrestling promoter who arranges for the bad guy to win the fist match and the good guy to win the second, so they can have a "rubber match" to decide who’s better. Keep the pot boiling, that’s all.
He aims to please half the audience and make the other half angry. But now people have started to tune Matthews out, and that’s anathema to advertisers. Viewers listen to him contradict himself, interrupt his guests in the middle of an answer so he can ask a new question, and never settle any issue in conformity to known facts. So they get disgusted.
Matthews is a one-man "Crossfire" show, but he’s started to shoot blanks. Now he’s trying to get real, but if his audience returns he’ll go back to the old format in a heartbeat. Count on it, folks.
Big Dan #7
I quote this from the link you provided:
"Q: What is the cost to our country?
A: For the first thing, our credibility is utterly zero. So we destroyed whatever credibility we had. … And I say "we," because the American public went along with this. They voted for a second Bush administration out of fear, so fear is what they’re going to have from now on" (emphasis added).
Well if Bush was validly elected, and the exit polls are wrong, Delta man is correct.
However, if the exit polls are correct, which have been accurate for decade upon decade, then we must stop blaming Americans and democrats, and get down to the business of blaming the republican dictatorship.
Which will it be?
Until the MSM gets into the election machine fraud syndrome will they support the regime’s attempt to blame someone?
The MSM has been resisting taking the blame, so will they go along with the republican dictatorship and blame America, or will they have to get into the "conspiracy theory" of election fraud?
For Dredd: I think your message is that Democrats and the mainstream media, by together ignoring the fact that the American people DID NOT ELECT GEORGE BUSH IN EITHER 2000 OR 2004, have let the Bush administration control the dialogue. By presenting Bush as a legitimate president, and by extension one presumed to be in the right on issues, Republicans and their allies in the media have said, in effect, "People who don’t like what we’re doing are just complainers and defeatists." In fact, they’re an angry majority.
Your other theme has been that Democrats should not be blamed for the fact that Republicans stole two elections. For me, the bank robbery analogy works here. If a bank president stood by with his hands raised as a gang of hoods held up his bank, then said to the cops, "Well, let’s not talk about it, let’s just try to prevent it from happening again," then that bank president is almost as guilty as the crooks who held him up.
He should say, "Let’s catch those S.O.B.’s and throw them in prison. What can I do to help?" And that’s what the Democrats should have done with vote fraud. But they’re still asking for money every
day, based on a message about every issue OTHER
THAN ELECTION FRAUD. That’s where we disagree; they’re to blame too, because they’re indifferent.
I think RLM #11 is right, so lets get a little cynical here
(like I’ve never done that before 🙂
And lets just say that they do control the elections
Now, lets imagine the Democrats as the good guys and the Republicans as the bad
I said to my brother in law, now that the country is in such bad shape, why would the Dems want to even try to get in and fix this mess
He said, after this, the people will let the Dems do almost anything because their so glad the Pukes are out, including having a draft, they’ll be able to stay on the same agenda that is going on right now, only with the people’s consent
He is a Republican
He was in Psy-ops in the Navy
Kinda freaky eh ?
Why did I put Navy down
He was in the Air Force
He’s afraid to fly now, won’t set one foot in a plane
I haven’t seen anyone even asking to see the original memo. Does anyone have this link? I’d like to look at it for myself.
Floridiot #14, Right on, Especially if you noticed the love in between the Clintons and the Bushs. Now that everyone hates the Repubs its time for the Dems to screw up our country. I think this is why the dems don’t say anything about the E-Voting problems.Two sides of the same coin. If Hillary gets in thats over twenty years of either a Bush or Clinton in the White House. Its just scary, How can anyone not believe they are all in this together? God Bless your brother in law,I feel the same way,I wouldn’t set foot on a plane!
RLM #13
Thanks for "thinking" what my message was. That is reasonable because any of us are subject to the contra proferendum rule of legal hermeneutics. That is, the interpretation of text and ambiguous text.
Yep, under contra proferendum if I write something in, for instance, a contract and it ends up being ambiguous, then it will be construed (interpreted) against me and for the other party.
So lets be clear shall we.
What I say clearly is that democrats are victims of crime if the election was stolen. Here on this BLOG we say that there is sufficient evidence to bring the 2000 and 2004 elections into question, in terms of the presidental results.
Well, then, you have your cake. But you can’t eat it too. The Democrats were victims of a crime if the elections were stolen.
There are 50 states with counties in each one, totaling about 3000 counties (+/-). In every one of those there is an election officialdom that does elections. Not one "bank president".
And they are democrats and republicans, for this, against that, in a way that follows no pattern. Democrats disagree, agree, and republicans also agree and disagree. Sometimes republicans agree with democrats and disagree with republicans.
On electronic voting machines, ports, immigration and a lot of other issues. Sometimes.
So your over simplification does not encompass the vast swamp problem we are deep into. It does not properly frame the question.
Do you have some reason you dislike democrats? Is the hypothetical that they are victims of a crime not of sufficient weight to overcome some prejudice you have? Somehow I expect that given enough time and reflection you would come up with a reasonable conclusion.
I can tell you for damn sure that I would apply exactly the same set of standards to the democrats if the shoe was on the other foot.
You will see it happen here on this BLOG if the circumstances fit. If the democrats are voted back into the majority as the American public rids itself of this sucky republican dictatorship, and the democrats do the same thing … HOLY HELL will come from Dredd. Each and every day, and I will loudly exclaim they must be brought down.
Count on it.
To the double minded I say get over it. Either the democrats are victims of election crime or they are losers. Stop whining and choose.
If they are victims of crime stop saying they invited it, didn’t scream, didn’t scream loud enough, didn’t fight hard enough, looked like they enjoyed it, didn’t show up for court to testify against their rapists, are not free of sin and therefore are just as bad, or any other such bullshit.
Laura#17
Why I think the two are the same
was because of the nation building agenda they’ve got going now read this when the link is working again and you’ll see that you just might be right
(link isn’t working for me right now)
I worry that nothing will happen after the Dems take back control.
That is, IF they do.
I can see some leaders saying, "let’s forget about it and mover on, the nation needs to heal, blah blah blah, let’s COP OUT."
That would seriously piss me off. Those who lied and broke the law need to answer for what they’ve done.
No pardons
No "moving on"
No denying justice for all the people that have died because of these sick monsters.
Heres a good one to tide you over Laura, until the other link is working, it is about the Bolivarian Revolution (coming to a town near you, soon)
The only way we will get respect back for our country is to Impeach and Charge the administratation for war crimes against humanity. They must be convicted of the crimes and receive the maximum punishment by law. (International law)
As for the demacrats, as voters you write them and threaten them with your vote. and tell them you will try to influence others to do the same. They need your vote. There to stupid to know that the whole voting system is a fraud.
Ah yes! The Downing St Memo! What was that,….a Year ago anyway? About time they reminded people of THAT!
On that subject..sorta, is my comment today to Lou Dobbs:
Lou,
It’s amazing how we are getting such GREAT coverage of these big demonstrations,
especially considering that back when there were HALF A MILLION AMERICANS in the
streets of DC trying to stop a war that WE already knew was BOGUS, none of you Big
Media boys made a peep about it!
Chris Matthews seems to be a nice guy but the truth is that he only cares about ratings. He probably knows (like most journalists) that Bush & Co. are crooks and liars. To Chris, his wallet is more important than whether he is right or wrong.
Oh yes! And Robert Lockwood Mills # 13..
You are Right ON, Mistah!
I can never refer to Bush without putting "president" in quotation marks!
I think it is a scandal of historical proportions that any "free people" could tolerate the sheer amount of BS that we have already endured!
(be careful, a woman in Ga. just got fined $100.-for a "Bushit" sticah on her car…and I was just going to re-apply mine.. an antique from the FIRST Bush administration!)
What to do? Obviously the whole Cabal should be tried for Treason, but our TOOLS are missing right now.
We need to change some Rules about how we run our ELECTIONS, even if it means everybody counts by hand like we do in Maine, even if it means NO more Political Ads on TV: DEBATES instead, weekly and thorough, lively and entertaining.
We need better choices but first we need Instant Runoff Voting as the law of the land. Then third parties closer to what we REALLY want can have a chance, and voting for them won’t mean a vote lost to who you really DON’T want!
Right now they own the aparatus, all three branches of government PLUS the bootlicking media (except they seem to be getting their snouts full!) and that must change.
And by the way, while we’re fantascizing, check out my new Super-Heroine Reality Chick as she puts the Neocons in their places!
http://www.RealityChickComix.com
For my #19, Laura, I have another link to the same article
click here
The NED-CIPE crew must not have liked the other site and shut ‘er down
FLORIDIOT, great articles, Thanks for linking to them for me.
Bush said it himself just a few days ago: the problems this country faces in Iraq and elsewhere will be the responsibility of "future presidents", most notably NOT HIM. Apparently that means that US soldiers will be in Iraq until at least Inauguration Day in January, 2009. Bush will be safely ensconced on his private, environmentally sustainable and nearly energy-independent ranch, with his own private security force (the Secret Service), courtesy of the American taxpayer. He will not ever suffer the consequences of his policies.
I don’t think Chris Matthews is consciously aware that he contradicts himself on a daily basis, or that a sizable percentage of his audience is able to keep track of his flip-flopping and obvious lack of good judgment over the long term.
Welcome to the real world, Tweetie, nice of you to join us. Better late than never.
30 March 2006
Maybe it’s my age; then again, maybe I’m too much of a Polyyanna.
But surely by now — late evening on Wednesday — the seriousness of the January 2003 Bush-Blair memo would be/should be the hottest piece of news since the video and news flowing from the horrid night of Shock & Awe.
Using Reconnaissance aircraft painted in UN colors to goad Saddam’s AA??? Is that serious? The lack of any concern about AVOIDING the war during that state visit is beyond this old man’s imagination.
Thank you for maintaining this "Brad Blog" — I will consider support after viewing some other Blogs in the days ahead.
Joe Ryan
Joe Ryan #29, Hey Joe… This is the best blog around. Don’t take my word for it, go thru all the different threads on this blog and you will see why this is the best and most important blog in the internet world. On a daily basis it deals with the most important subject , our democracy and what we as individuals can do about it. When I have a chance to recommend a blog to someone this is the one I recommend. When I can afford to this is the one I support. This is the best community on the web,people fired up to save our country. Working together with respect. Brad works his ass for us in so many different ways and areas and as I am sure I’ll only be the first to tell you we all love and respect him for what he does for us. He also has wonderful contributors that help him out David Edwards,John Gideon,Lydia Cornell as well as others. You will not find a better BLOG out there. If I don’t have time to check any other blog this is the one I check, Its just that important to me. This is the first Blog I ever visited in the dark days after the 2004 election and its the one I like the best and follow the most. So I Recommend after you check all the rest come back and support the BEST! Welcome Joe!
I meant works his ass off (TYPO) after I posted I noticed how I screwed up sorry Brad. I’m just going to have to do a better job of proof reading. That really looks bad.