The Downing Street Memo Meeting (Real Player link) is a real rip-roarer. It will be in the history books as the real begining of the end of the Bush administration's reputation, if not its rule. You owe it to yourself to watch this, especially if you support the mission in Iraq.
Avoiding factual information doesn't make it go away, it just makes it more painful when it finally sinks in. I dare anyone who supports this war to watch this meeting and come away without any doubts about the 'fixing of the facts and intelligence around the policy.'
Following this meeting, we saw the shameful spectacle of a group of United States Congress members being denied access to the White House by a terrified Administration. Conyers and his delegation, bearing a letter demanding answers from the Administration and a petition signed by over 560,000 American citizens, were stymied in the attempt to deliver their message on purely pretextual grouds.
When asked why they had failed to respond to Conyers' letter, signed by 105 members of Congress, the White House replied through mouthpiece McClellan:
"Why not? Because I think that this is an individual who voted against the war in the first place and is simply trying to rehash old debates that have already been addressed. And our focus is not on the past. It's on the future and working to make sure we succeed in Iraq."[emphasis added]
The White House is obviously terrified of addressing these issues head-on, not to mention unable to do so. They are trying to characterize a letter signed by the legal representatives of millions of Americans, and bearing the signatures of 560,000 more of us, as the act of an individual with an axe to grind. They are going to bury their collective heads in the sand and act like the DSM and all the other damning evidence outlined in The Meeting doesn't exist, hoping that this blows over and the MSM gets distracted by something else. I for one applaud their choice of strategy, and hope they keep it up.
Article comments
1 - Randem
I'm proud to say my name is on that list.
2 - Dave Nalle
So you proudly admit to being an ill-informed sheep?
BTW the link to the video seems not to work.
Dave
3 - SFC SKI
You could give the reader a few reasons want to click the link, like why you thnk it is important, spend a little less time on tirade and a little more on information, thanks.
4 - Maurice
Is this the DSM site? Cuz I just never get tired of rehashing that non-issue.
Geez!
5 - BillB
The link worked for me.
Dave-
>So you proudly admit to being an ill-informed sheep?<
Please Dave. Someone disagrees with your position and they're an "ill-informed sheep"? If I were similarly inclined I'd say you were a sand eating ostrich. But that's not me.
At best you'd have to admit that your position is based upon interpretive grounds and as such is no more or less valid than the opposing view.
Frankly this administration has provided plenty of ammo for the opposing view.
As for comment #3, you need the author to state why this is important? Are you for real?
I also see little in the way of tirade. I wouldn't even call it indignant. Rather measured if you ask me. But you're probably not asking.
I'm with you randem.
They owe us a hell of a lot more than that dweeb Scott McClellan has offered.
6 - adam
In the annals of history, the Bush administration will rank slightly above a pimple on a dead pig's nose.
7 - MDE
Only if the pig was a flu carrier responsible for loads of human death and destruction.
8 - michael
Disappointing that not a single Iraq supporter has come back saying they watched the video and STILL had no doubts about the way we were taken to war. I don't expect it is really possible though. People who live in delusionary states of awareness are very careful and clever at avoiding any contra-delusional facts.
9 - Dave Nalle
Michael, this is because the VIDEO DOES NOT WORK - as I said earlier. I wanted to watch it, but no dice.
BillB: "Please Dave. Someone disagrees with your position and they're an "ill-informed sheep"? If I were similarly inclined I'd say you were a sand eating ostrich. But that's not me."
No, they are an ill-informed sheep because they take the DSM seriously, think it's significant, and do this solely because Kos or moveon.org or a similar leftist zombie programming center told them to. It doesn't have anything to do with disagreeing with me, it has to do with thinking what you're told to think instead of thinking for yourself.
Dave
10 - Temple Stark
Just a tech note. The link works. I clicked the link, Real Player popped right up and it started playing. If you don't have Real Player it won't work. If you have an old version of Real Player it may not work, but I think it would ask a user to download the latest version.
11 - GoLakers
George Bush will always be remembered for facing the reality of evil, and not pretending that doing nothing is an adequate response. Certainly people may reasonably discuss alternatives to how he has pursued that goal, but not taking seriously the threat of terrorists will never be an accusation taken seriously.
The more Democrats align themselves with silly strategies (like demanding troops come home before victory is achieved), the more election defeats they will suffer.
Certainly there is no one on the planet who agrees more with the sentiments of the "Out of Iraq Caucus" than al-Qaeda's very own Iraq leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
"Avoiding factual information doesn't make it go away, it just makes it more painful when it finally sinks in."
Yep.
12 - gonzo marx
Jim Jones sez...
"drink more kool-ade please"
cereally...there is stuff to the DSM...but the WH has established enough plausable deniability to cover their pale asses in this one
and since the GOP controls both the House and Senate, there will be no serious investigation
all the more reason for '06 to be very interesting...if the demlicans get either House or Senate, expect fireworks
so sayeth yer gonzo
Excelsior!
13 - GoLakers
Tasting Kool-aid already?
DSM means nothing because Bush supporters think Iraq is justified. DSM means nothing because Bush-haters don't.
See? It changes nothing.
And I'm certainly willing to entertain actual evidence - but starting out with rhetoric about Kool-aid is weak.