A missing story? (Manning Pynn)

[struggle4progress]

Published June 12, 2005

<snip> The memo continues, "It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran."

At the time, Bush was insisting that he had made no such decision and was pursuing a diplomatic course with Iraq. He repeated that last week in a joint appearance with Blair in Washington in which, referring to the memo, he said, "There's nothing farther from the truth."

Whether or not the memo accurately reflects the president's intentions, presumably it accurately reflects what Blair was told about Bush's intentions. It was, after all, the prime minister -- facing a tough re-election -- who released the document. <snip>

The American press has failed to call adequate attention to the document, which, although British in origin, describes the United States government's plans for a war that continues to cost dollars and lives. <snip>

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edppubccol061205061205jun12xx,0,1608564.column?coll=orl-opinion-headlines