Comments on: Tony Blair: We Invaded Iraq to Change the Region http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/ Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:48:32 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Leen http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205138 Leen Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:05:38 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205138 thanks for the clarification. I believe Amy Goodman was harassed by Canadian police thanks for the clarification. I believe Amy Goodman was harassed by Canadian police

]]> By: Leen http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205137 Leen Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:04:53 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205137 So fucked up. Proving we are a morally bankrupt nation. So fucked up. Proving we are a morally bankrupt nation.

]]> By: tatarewicz http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205089 tatarewicz Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:14:38 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205089 Blair is still not telling the whole truth. The sole reason American and British forces were used to depose Saddam was to stop him from encouraging Palestinians to blow up Israelis by the bus load in an attempt to get back lands stolen by Zionist terrorists. By fighting Israel's enemies Blair and Bush would be assured of generous Jewish financial support in their parties' election campaigns as well as by the media that Zionists control. I wonder what Blair's response would have been had the interviewer been allowed to ask: Was the attack on Iraq as well as that on Afghanistan solely for the purpose of ensuring Israel's security and dominance in the Middle East and consequent continued generous campaign support for your Party from the Israeli lobby? Blair is still not telling the whole truth. The sole reason American and British forces were used to depose Saddam was to stop him from encouraging Palestinians to blow up Israelis by the bus load in an attempt to get back lands stolen by Zionist terrorists. By fighting Israel’s enemies Blair and Bush would be assured of generous Jewish financial support in their parties’ election campaigns as well as by the media that Zionists control. I wonder what Blair’s response would have been had the interviewer been allowed to ask: Was the attack on Iraq as well as that on Afghanistan solely for the purpose of ensuring Israel’s security and dominance in the Middle East and consequent continued generous campaign support for your Party from the Israeli lobby?

]]> By: bobschacht http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205078 bobschacht Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:19:49 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205078 Well, at least if Russian oil companies out-bid American ones, then when Maliki's government gets overthrown after we leave, and nationalize all the oil companies, our Republican friends won't be able to blame Obama for who lost Iraq and all the oil. Bob in AZ Well, at least if Russian oil companies out-bid American ones, then when Maliki’s government gets overthrown after we leave, and nationalize all the oil companies, our Republican friends won’t be able to blame Obama for who lost Iraq and all the oil.

Bob in AZ

]]> By: bmaz http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205033 bmaz Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:43:07 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205033 Really, it was a fucking brilliant plan - what could go wrong? Start an illegal war, against a country that had done nothing to us, lie, misrepresent and defraud to gin up the <em>causus belli</em>, bankrupt the US in the process and kill and/or cause the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis - all in order to substantially strengthen Iran and Russia. Mission Accomplished! Really, it was a fucking brilliant plan – what could go wrong? Start an illegal war, against a country that had done nothing to us, lie, misrepresent and defraud to gin up the causus belli, bankrupt the US in the process and kill and/or cause the death of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis – all in order to substantially strengthen Iran and Russia. Mission Accomplished!

]]> By: Mary http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205030 Mary Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:11:38 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205030 More OT small world Russia makes out big time in the Iraqi oil auctions http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091212/ts_nm/us_iraq_oil (Mr. Blair - would you still have supported the war if you knew it meant strengthening Russian interests and giving Russia more strategic control in the area?) Bulgaria, "eager to prove its loyalty" is going to <strike>adopt an abused stray dog from the pound </strike>take a GITMO detainee and ... well, no one asks what they are going to do with them after they take them. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091212/ts_nm/us_bulgaria_guantanamo Elsewhere - Cuba has detained an American <strike>non-uniformed illegal enemy combatant</strike> USAID worker. Apparently she was <strike>providing material support to those seeking to overthrow Cuban government</strike> distributing cellphones, laptops, etc. Obama has vowed that, no matter what Cuba does to the American detainee, he ain't looking nowhere but forward. He is expected to give a speech later explaining reality - that while the rule of law sounds like a great idea, all truly great nations and leaders know that now and then you have to pick up a few civilians and torture them, just to show you can. Meanwhile - the Phillipines have been living out Yoo's law review article on the benefits of just letting the Executive declare martial law and ignore the rule of law. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091212/ap_on_re_as/as_philippines_massacre Martial law ended in Philippine massacre <blockquote>The Philippine president lifted martial law late Saturday in a southern province where 57 people were massacred in the country's worst political violence ... The opposition said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made the move to pre-empt possible censure by the Supreme Court. The court had ordered the government to comment by Monday on at least seven petitions questioning the legal basis for last week's proclamation, which allowed police and soldiers to make arrests without warrants</blockquote> That would be the Supreme Court in the Phillipines - who apparently didn't get Yoo's message that they are supposed to shut up if the President wants to disappeare a few civilians More OT small world

Russia makes out big time in the Iraqi oil auctions
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091212/ts_nm/us_iraq_oil
(Mr. Blair – would you still have supported the war if you knew it meant strengthening Russian interests and giving Russia more strategic control in the area?)

Bulgaria, “eager to prove its loyalty” is going to adopt an abused stray dog from the pound take a GITMO detainee and … well, no one asks what they are going to do with them after they take them.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091212/ts_nm/us_bulgaria_guantanamo

Elsewhere – Cuba has detained an American non-uniformed illegal enemy combatant USAID worker. Apparently she was providing material support to those seeking to overthrow Cuban government distributing cellphones, laptops, etc.

Obama has vowed that, no matter what Cuba does to the American detainee, he ain’t looking nowhere but forward. He is expected to give a speech later explaining reality – that while the rule of law sounds like a great idea, all truly great nations and leaders know that now and then you have to pick up a few civilians and torture them, just to show you can.

Meanwhile – the Phillipines have been living out Yoo’s law review article on the benefits of just letting the Executive declare martial law and ignore the rule of law.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091212/ap_on_re_as/as_philippines_massacre
Martial law ended in Philippine massacre

The Philippine president lifted martial law late Saturday in a southern province where 57 people were massacred in the country’s worst political violence
…
The opposition said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made the move to pre-empt possible censure by the Supreme Court. The court had ordered the government to comment by Monday on at least seven petitions questioning the legal basis for last week’s proclamation, which allowed police and soldiers to make arrests without warrants

That would be the Supreme Court in the Phillipines – who apparently didn’t get Yoo’s message that they are supposed to shut up if the President wants to disappeare a few civilians

]]> By: Mary http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205027 Mary Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:38:36 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205027 I wonder if he put it to the Pope that way when he made his very public conversion - "I would have found a way to kill lots of Iraqis no matter what basis I had to make up" ? It may hurt him some re: employment in the UK, but he's still got his slots at JP Morgan Chase and Zurich Financial (advisory) and teaching gigs at Yale - as well as his 6 figure speaking fees. Then there's his slot as Middle East Envoy for the UN (where I guess he explains that if WMDs won't work, he'll find other excuses to decimate Muslim families, just give him a sec). In a weird - 6 degrees - way, Roman Polanski was going to be directing a movie that was purportedly based on Blair. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975536.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15776253" rel="nofollow">The Ghost</a>. The recent Polanski focus of the DOJ triggered this op-ed from Harris, the author of, <em>The Ghost</em>. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/opinion/30harris.html Cue the "small world" jingle. I wonder if he put it to the Pope that way when he made his very public conversion – “I would have found a way to kill lots of Iraqis no matter what basis I had to make up” ?

It may hurt him some re: employment in the UK, but he’s still got his slots at JP Morgan Chase and Zurich Financial (advisory) and teaching gigs at Yale – as well as his 6 figure speaking fees. Then there’s his slot as Middle East Envoy for the UN (where I guess he explains that if WMDs won’t work, he’ll find other excuses to decimate Muslim families, just give him a sec).

In a weird – 6 degrees – way, Roman Polanski was going to be directing a movie that was purportedly based on Blair.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975536.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
The Ghost.

The recent Polanski focus of the DOJ triggered this op-ed from Harris, the author of, The Ghost.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/opinion/30harris.html

Cue the “small world” jingle.

]]> By: earlofhuntingdon http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205022 earlofhuntingdon Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:02:06 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205022 Those were Michigan-based US Border Patrol guards, not Canadian, working under the auspices of Janet Napolitano's department, who assaulted, arrested and had charged with a felony a Canadian visitor who was leaving the good ole' US of A, and who had the temerity to ask a border guard what he was doing rifling through his trunk. Needless to say, the border guard had authority to search a vehicle leaving the United States. Whether he and his mates had the discretion or authority to react quite so violently during a conversation with a traveler is a question I'd very much like Ms. Napolitano to answer and explain. Those were Michigan-based US Border Patrol guards, not Canadian, working under the auspices of Janet Napolitano’s department, who assaulted, arrested and had charged with a felony a Canadian visitor who was leaving the good ole’ US of A, and who had the temerity to ask a border guard what he was doing rifling through his trunk.

Needless to say, the border guard had authority to search a vehicle leaving the United States. Whether he and his mates had the discretion or authority to react quite so violently during a conversation with a traveler is a question I’d very much like Ms. Napolitano to answer and explain.

]]> By: Leen http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-205017 Leen Sat, 12 Dec 2009 23:35:08 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-205017 Jesus Mary and Joseph what is happenning in Canada. They held up Amy Goodman recently and told her to be out of the country in two days. Kept asking her if she would be talking about the "Olympics in Canada" for heavens sake Held up Medea Benjaman and Col Ann Wright a while back also. Jesus Mary and Joseph what is happenning in Canada.

They held up Amy Goodman recently and told her to be out of the country in two days. Kept asking her if she would be talking about the “Olympics in Canada” for heavens sake

Held up Medea Benjaman and Col Ann Wright a while back also.

]]> By: earlofhuntingdon http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2009/12/11/tony-blair-we-invaded-iraq-to-change-the-region/#comment-204975 earlofhuntingdon Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:27:19 +0000 http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/?p=6878#comment-204975 You're right, they were two sides of the same coin. Ownership and control of transshipment of goods through Suez was inseparable from the oil in the neighboring Middle Eastern countries. In 1956, at the height of a period of colonial wars in Algeria, SE Asia, East Africa, it was also essential to cram down the legitimacy of "native" leaders in, eg, Egypt, Cuba, Vietnam, Algeria, and any attempt by them to seize assets (whether compensated or not) owned by foreign corporations. You’re right, they were two sides of the same coin. Ownership and control of transshipment of goods through Suez was inseparable from the oil in the neighboring Middle Eastern countries. In 1956, at the height of a period of colonial wars in Algeria, SE Asia, East Africa, it was also essential to cram down the legitimacy of “native” leaders in, eg, Egypt, Cuba, Vietnam, Algeria, and any attempt by them to seize assets (whether compensated or not) owned by foreign corporations.

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