Tony Blair’s government allegedly “massaged intelligence” about Saddam Hussein’s supposed weapons of mass destruction into “more robust and terrifying” statements, it was stated yesterday. Former UK diplomat Carne Ross (pictured above) told the Iraq Inquiry that New Labour ministers “intentionally and substantially exaggerated their assessment of WMD in public documents”. Britain and the US did not believe Iraq’s weapons programmes posed a substantial threat before launching the 2003 invasion that overthrew Saddam, he added. Mr Ross, who was First Secretary responsible for the Middle East at the UK’s mission to the United Nations from 1997 to 2002, said: “It remains my view that the internal Government assessment of Iraq’s capabilities was intentionally and substantially exaggerated in public Government documents during 2002 and 2003. Throughout my posting in New York, it was the UK and US assessment that while there were many unanswered questions about Iraq’s WMD stocks and capabilities, we did not believe that these amounted to a substantial threat. At no point did we have any firm evidence, from intelligence sources or otherwise, of significant weapons holdings”.
Word of advice Mr Ross – don’t go out walking alone near woodland anytime soon.
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In the UK 3 men were sentenced to life in prison yesterday after being convicted of plotting to kill hundreds of people in a terrorist attack. Arafat Waheed Khan, Waheed Zaman and Ibrahim Savant (pictured above) were recruited by the ring leader of an Al-Qaeda inspired plot to detonate home-made liquid bombs on transatlantic jets, were told they would each serve minimum terms of 20 years. In passing sentence Mr Justice Holroyde said the men were “foot soldiers” and did not know their intended targets and took no part in its planning or in assembling the explosives. But he said: “Each of you agreed to join with others in this conspiracy with each of you intending that you would kill members of the general public and yourselves by acting as a suicide bomber. In furtherance of that conspiracy, each of you recorded a suicide video in which you described yourself as being blessed by the opportunity to take part in that mission.” He might also have added that to allow themselves to be radicalised and manipulated in such a way, thereby wasting their own lives, the 3 of them were thick-headed cretins. But doubtless they’ll become even more pious in jail and thereby merit early release so that they can leech off British society for the rest of their natural.
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In the US newly published election spending figures show that Sarah Palin (pictured above) ended the last financial quarter with a war chest of over $1 milllion, suggesting gathering momentum for a run at the White House in 2012. Her political action committee, a body for raising and distributing election cash, raised $866,000 in the 3 months from April 1, the most since it was formed in January 2009. She spent about $742,000 over the quarter, the bulk of it on building up her political profile and base support. So a Sarah Palin presidential candidacy in 2012 ? That must be the best piece of news Barack Obama has had in months.
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Switzerland said yesterday that it would not send Oscar-winning film director Roman Polanski (pictured above) back to the US to face sentencing for unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977 and freed him from 10 months arrest. Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said she had decided against extradition because of potential technical faults in the US extradition request and also because Polanski had for years come to Switzerland in good faith. ”He is a free man from today,” she told a news conference in Switzerland’s capital Berne. “He can go to France or to Poland, anywhere where he will not be arrested.” I suppose he might even go to the Vatican – after all, people guilty of child sex offences go there in good faith, are harboured there in good faith and are even employed there because of their faith.
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The head of the Church of England and Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams (pictured above) has admitted that it will be “desperately difficult” to keep his church unified in the aftermath of its divisive vote on women bishops. In a heartfelt appeal for unity Dr Williams called upon Anglicans to push ahead with the consecration of women bishops despite the fact that a minority of traditionalists, conservative evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics have threatened to leave the church over the issue. The beleaguered church leader suffered a humiliating defeat on Saturday evening when the general synod – the church’s legislative assembly – rejected his personal appeal for a series of safeguards that would have provided a separate class of male-only bishops to administer to those who remain vehemently opposed to female leadership in the church. And a compromise vote held yesterday has only smoothed over cracks, not solved the problem. All very ironic really when you consider that Dr Williams and his ecclesiastical cronies have been acting like old women for years ! And in any case, I wonder how his support for women bishops squares up with his support for Sharia Law ?
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Obama better pray to his god that Palin runs… he certainly could use the help!
Certainly the war in Iraq was nothing more than an oil war. It is unfortunate but true. Even generals in the US have admitted that it is all about oil. This is imperialism and a criminal war.