http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/224046_thomas13.htmlFriday, May 13, 2005
Credibility matters little to Brits, Americans
By HELEN THOMAS
HEARST NEWSPAPERS
WASHINGTON -- Funny thing about the United States and Great Britain. I once thought their people cared about the credibility -- and accountability of their leaders -- especially when it comes to war and peace. But now I note with regret that the voters in both nations have other priorities.
We're talking about the fact that the leaders of both nations chose to invade Iraq for flimsy reasons that were deliberately drummed up to convince their people that a Third World country was a threat to them. Didn't the Brits say Saddam Hussein could attack in 45 minutes?
The historic election of Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair for a third term is a stunning affirmation that the British people no longer demand credibility from their leaders.
The false rationales for war by both President Bush and Blair went up in smoke without a public outcry. I know Blair returns to power with a much smaller majority in the House of Commons -- compared with his landslide victories in the past -- apparently because of British disillusionment with the war. He also is hearing post-election calls from within his own Labor Party for him to step down. But still, he was re-elected.
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http://barometer.orst.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/05/12/4283853a7655fDon't demand answers; demand resignation
by Jim Smith
The Daily Barometer
Tony Blair has been taking quite a beating lately in the United Kingdom. Despite having just won a third term as prime minister, his party has been dealt a severe blow, resulting in the loss of nearly 100 seats in Parliament. Responsible for this setback is the recent leak of a top-secret U.K. internal government memo, which recorded the minutes of a meeting between British Prime Minister Blair and other key figures in British intelligence and military outfits, and the very embarrassing content therein.
The text of the memo is available online, as it appeared in full in the London Times edition of May 1, and it sounds awfully exciting ... very cloak and dagger. It begins with the warning "secret and strictly personal -- U.K. eyes only."
Farther down the page, just before the body of the memo is the following: "This record is extremely sensitive. No further copies should be made. It should be shown only to those with a genuine need to know its contents."
And what exactly is it that we're not supposed to see? Nothing less than proof positive that the Bush administration was dead set on invading Iraq well before it was declared publicly that such a decision had been made. But this is only the tip of the iceberg.
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