Another Iraq bombshell from the London Sunday Times [UPDATE]

it's been exactly 42 days since the london sunday times broke the downing street memo and 43 since i posted on it (accounting for london being 8 hours later than u.s. pacific time...) now we have "tony's secret briefing..."

[UK] ministers were warned in July 2002 that Britain was committed to taking part in an American-led invasion of Iraq and they had no choice but to find a way of making it legal.

[...]

The briefing paper, for participants at a meeting of Blair’s inner circle on July 23, 2002, said that since regime change was illegal it was “necessary to create the conditions” which would make it legal.

[...]

The document said the only way the allies could justify military action was to place Saddam Hussein in a position where he ignored or rejected a United Nations ultimatum ordering him to co-operate with the weapons inspectors. But it warned this would be difficult.

i would passionately like to think that this will be the straw that breaks that s-o-b's back but given the still-meager u.s. coverage of and action on the downing street memo, i won't hold my breath... but, great god almighty, how incriminating does it have to get before this guy goes down...?

[UPDATE]

the washington post, perhaps stinging from the criticism of its incredibly slow response to the downing street memo, has put "tony's secret briefing" on page 1 and adds the not-so-startling revelation that the u.s. was unprepared for the consequences of occupation...

In its introduction, the memo "Iraq: Conditions for Military Action" notes that U.S. "military planning for action against Iraq is proceeding apace," but adds that "little thought" has been given to, among other things, "the aftermath and how to shape it."

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