[Mb-hair] Re: Corinne

Russell Carlson redwing at infinet.com
Mon Jun 20 12:00:23 PDT 2005


Corinne:
Wow, it is nice to see you on the list here. Been a few years for sure.
Heard you have your own theatre in St. Pete. That is cool. I am in 
Columbus , Ohio working for a large production house doing lighting for 
corporate events all over the place. i have a good time, but I'd love 
to have my own theatre. Let me know how you are doing. I think I am 
changing my main email location. New one is redwing2 at net.

Peace, Love, Groovy Good Vibes,
Rusty Carlson
( LA stage Manager)



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> Today's Topics:
> 
>    1. A washingtonpost.com article from: swiggard at comcast.net
>       (swiggard at comcast.net)
>    2. Re: Lyle K'ang (venuetheatre at juno.com)
>    3. NYTimes.com: Two Top Guns Shoot Blanks (michael at intrafi.com)
>    4. Re: Re: Lyle K'ang (Michael Butler)
>    5. Re: Re: HAiR Thread (Barbara Siomos)
>    6. Re: Re: Lyle K'ang (Barbara Siomos)
>    7. Memos Show British Fretting over Iraq War     By Thomas
>       Wagner     The Associated Press  (Michael Butler)
>    8. Re: Memos Show British Fretting over Iraq War By
	ThomasWagner
>       The Associated Press (Robin McNamara)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 09:09:52 -0400 (EDT)
> From: swiggard at comcast.net
> Subject: [Mb-hair] A washingtonpost.com article from:
> 	swiggard at comcast.net
> To: mb-civic at islandlists.com, mb-hair at islandlists.com
> Message-ID: <5480830.1119186592721.JavaMail.wlogic at sane5>
> Content-Type: text/plain
> 
> You have been sent this message from swiggard at comcast.net as a 
courtesy of washingtonpost.com
> 
>  Personal Message:
>  A must read -
> Peace, Love, Liberty, Happiness -
> Bill
> 
>  Emmett Till and a Legacy of Grace
> 
>  By George F. Will
> 
>  ALSIP, Ill. -- In a cemetery here, a few miles southwest of 
Chicago's city limits, Simeon Wright, 62, a trim, articulate 
semiretired pipe fitter, and a deacon of the Church of God in Christ, 
recently attended a ceremony at an unquiet grave. The gravestone has a 
weatherproof locket with a photograph...
> 
>  To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2005/06/17/AR2005061701215.html?
referrer=emailarticle
> 
> 
>  Would you like to send this article to a friend? Go to
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/emailafriend?
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> 
> 
> 
> Visit washingtonpost.com today for the latest in:
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> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 09:11:14 -0400
> From: venuetheatre at juno.com
> Subject: [Mb-hair] Re: Lyle K'ang
> To: mb-hair at islandlists.com
> Message-ID: <20050619.091343.3864.6.venuetheatre at juno.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> Ohmygosh!  Lyle!  Hello!  It is Corinne, how are you?
> Have you seen Sherman?  He is back in Hawaii!
> Love
> 
> 
> PS  Loved the Bounce thing, does it have to be that brand?
> 
> Wherever the meeting is, I want to go, can someone email me outside 
the
> list, I have trouble following the threads with all the duplications, 
and
> somehow I miss stuff.
> 
> Where is Sharmagne?
> 
> Corinne
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Visit our web site at www.VenueActorStudio.org
> Venue Theatre is a not for profit 501(c)(3) Corporation.  Our office 
is
> located at  5124 Ninth Avenue N, St Petersburg, FL 33710.  Please send
> all mail to the office.
> The Studio is at 9125 US 19 N, Pinellas Park (at Mainlands Blvd.)
> 727-822-6194  cell  727-656-8525
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 16:22:59 +0000 (GMT)
> From: michael at intrafi.com
> Subject: [Mb-hair] NYTimes.com: Two Top Guns Shoot Blanks
> To: mb-hair at islandlists.com
> Message-ID: <20050619162259.C331813B7D8 at lax-gw04.mroute.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> This page was sent to you by: michael at intrafi.com.
> 
> OPINION | June 19, 2005
> Op-Ed Columnist: Two Top Guns Shoot Blanks
> By FRANK RICH
> The boundary between reality and fiction has been blurred by show 
business, the news business and government.
> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/opinion/19rich.html?
ex19844800&en49c5e483523c0fa&eiP70&emc=eta1
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------
> 
> ABOUT THIS E-MAIL
> This e-mail was sent to you by a friend through NYTimes.com's E-mail 
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to help at nytimes.com.
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> 
> Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
> -------------- next part --------------
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> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 11:05:15 -0700
> From: Michael Butler <michael at michaelbutler.com>
> Subject: Re: [Mb-hair] Re: Lyle K'ang
> To: HAIR List <mb-hair at islandlists.com>
> Message-ID: <BEDB01EB.20E58%michael at michaelbutler.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
> Sharmagne last heard from in UK
> I think going to Washington
> XO M
> 
> > Ohmygosh!  Lyle!  Hello!  It is Corinne, how are you?
> > Have you seen Sherman?  He is back in Hawaii!
> > Love
> >
> >
> > PS  Loved the Bounce thing, does it have to be that brand?
> >
> > Wherever the meeting is, I want to go, can someone email me outside 
the
> > list, I have trouble following the threads with all the 
duplications, and
> > somehow I miss stuff.
> >
> > Where is Sharmagne?
> >
> > Corinne
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> > Visit our web site at www.VenueActorStudio.org
> > Venue Theatre is a not for profit 501(c)(3) Corporation.  Our 
office is
> > located at  5124 Ninth Avenue N, St Petersburg, FL 33710.  Please 
send
> > all mail to the office.
> > The Studio is at 9125 US 19 N, Pinellas Park (at Mainlands Blvd.)
> > 727-822-6194  cell  727-656-8525
> > _______________________________________________
> > Mb-hair mailing list
> > Mb-hair at islandlists.com
> > http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-hair
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 22:25:47 GMT
> From: "Barbara Siomos" <barbarasiomos38 at msn.com>
> Subject: Re: [Mb-hair] Re: HAiR Thread
> To: Leo <peacefreak at metrocast.net>, mb-hair at islandlists.com
> Message-ID: <BAY5-DAV135321F093FCFC62973ED5ABF60 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain
> 
> Leo.....   I agree... :-)
> 
> peqace,
> barbara
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 6
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 22:40:00 GMT
> From: "Barbara Siomos" <barbarasiomos38 at msn.com>
> Subject: Re: [Mb-hair] Re: Lyle K'ang
> To: venuetheatre at juno.com, mb-hair at islandlists.com
> Message-ID: <BAY5-DAV360D24A73A7DE941644B5ABF60 at phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain
> 
> Corinne...
> 
> As far as I know Sharmagne is doing her Native American thing... 
which are good deeds.
> 
> peace,
> barbara
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: venuetheatre at juno.com
> Sent: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 06:11:14 -0700
> To: mb-hair at islandlists.com
> Subject: [Mb-hair] Re: Lyle K'ang
> 
> Ohmygosh!  Lyle!  Hello!  It is Corinne, how are you?
> Have you seen Sherman?  He is back in Hawaii!
> Love
> 
> 
> PS  Loved the Bounce thing, does it have to be that brand?
> 
> Wherever the meeting is, I want to go, can someone email me outside 
the
> list, I have trouble following the threads with all the duplications, 
and
> somehow I miss stuff.
> 
> Where is Sharmagne?
> 
> Corinne
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Visit our web site at www.VenueActorStudio.org
> Venue Theatre is a not for profit 501(c)(3) Corporation.  Our office 
is
> located at  5124 Ninth Avenue N, St Petersburg, FL 33710.  Please send
> all mail to the office.
> The Studio is at 9125 US 19 N, Pinellas Park (at Mainlands Blvd.)
> 727-822-6194  cell  727-656-8525
> _______________________________________________
> Mb-hair mailing list
> Mb-hair at islandlists.com
> http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-hair
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 7
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 17:37:45 -0700
> From: Michael Butler <michael at michaelbutler.com>
> Subject: [Mb-hair] Memos Show British Fretting over Iraq War     By
> 	Thomas	Wagner     The Associated Press
> To: Civic <mb-civic at islandlists.com>, HAIR List
> 	<mb-hair at islandlists.com>
> Message-ID: <BEDB5DE9.20E90%michael at michaelbutler.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
> 
>     Go to Original
> 
>     Memos Show British Fretting over Iraq War
>     By Thomas Wagner
>     The Associated Press
> 
>     Saturday 18 June 2005
> 
>     When Prime Minister Tony Blair's chief foreign policy adviser 
dined with
> Condoleezza Rice six months after Sept. 11, the then-U.S. national 
security
> adviser didn't want to discuss Osama bin Laden or al-Qadir. She 
wanted to
> talk about "regime change" in Iraq, setting the stage for the U.S.-led
> invasion more than a year later.
> 
>     President Bush wanted Blair's support, but British officials 
worried the
> White House was rushing to war, according to a series of leaked secret
> Downing Street memos that have renewed questions and debate about
> Washington's motives for ousting Saddam Hussein.
> 
>     In one of the memos, British Foreign Office political director 
Peter
> Ricketts openly asks whether the Bush administration had a clear and
> compelling military reason for war.
> 
>     "U.S. scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and al-Qaida is 
so far
> frankly unconvincing," Ricketts says in the memo. "For Iraq, `regime 
change'
> does not stack up. It sounds like a grudge between Bush and Saddam."
> 
>     The documents confirm Blair was genuinely concerned about Saddam's
> alleged weapons of mass destruction, but also indicate he was 
determined to
> go to war as America's top ally, even though his government thought a
> pre-emptive attack may be illegal under international law.
> 
>     "The truth is that what has changed is not the pace of Saddam 
Hussein's
> WMD programs, but our tolerance of them post-11 September," said a 
typed
> copy of a March 22, 2002 memo obtained Thursday by The Associated 
Press and
> written to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
> 
>     "But even the best survey of Iraq's WMD programs will not show 
much
> advance in recent years on the nuclear, missile or CW/BW (chemical or
> biological weapons) fronts: the programs are extremely worrying but 
have
> not, as far as we know, been stepped up."
> 
>     Details from Rice's dinner conversation also are included in one 
of the
> secret memos from 2002, which reveal British concerns about both the
> invasion and poor postwar planning by the Bush administration, which 
critics
> say has allowed the Iraqi insurgency to rage.
> 
>     The eight memos - all labeled "secret" or "confidential" - were 
first
> obtained by British reporter Michael Smith, who has written about 
them in
> The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times.
> 
>     Smith told AP he protected the identity of the source he had 
obtained
> the documents from by typing copies of them on plain paper and 
destroying
> the originals.
> 
>     The AP obtained copies of six of the memos (the other two have
> circulated widely). A senior British official who reviewed the copies 
said
> their content appeared authentic. He spoke on condition of anonymity 
because
> of the secret nature of the material.
> 
>     The Sunday Times this week reported that lawyers told the British
> government that U.S. and British bombing of Iraq in the months before 
the
> war was illegal under international law. That report, also by Smith, 
noted
> that almost a year before the war started, they began to strike more
> frequently.
> 
>     The newspaper quoted Lord Goodhart, vice president of the 
International
> Commission of Jurists, as backing the Foreign Office lawyers' view 
that
> aircraft could only patrol the no-fly zones to deter attacks by 
Saddam's
> forces.
> 
>     Goodhart said that if "the purpose was to soften up Iraq for a 
future
> invasion or even to intimidate Iraq, the coalition forces were acting
> without lawful authority," the Sunday Times reported.
> 
>     The eight documents reported earlier total 36 pages and range from
> 10-page and eight-page studies on military and legal options in Iraq, 
to
> brief memorandums from British officials and the minutes of a private
> meeting held by Blair and his top advisers.
> 
>     Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert who teaches at Queen Mary College, 
University
> of London, said the documents confirmed what post-invasion 
investigations
> have found.
> 
>     "The documents show what official inquiries in Britain already 
have,
> that the case of weapons of mass destruction was based on thin 
intelligence
> and was used to inflate the evidence to the level of mendacity," 
Dodge said.
> "In going to war with Bush, Blair defended the special relationship 
between
> the two countries, like other British leaders have. But he knew he was
> taking a huge political risk at home. He knew the war's legality was
> questionable and its unpopularity was never in doubt."
> 
>     Dodge said the memos also show Blair was aware of the postwar
> instability that was likely among Iraq's complex mix of Sunnis, 
Shiites and
> Kurds once Saddam was defeated.
> 
>     The British documents confirm, as well, that "soon after 9/11 
happened,
> the starting gun was fired for the invasion of Iraq," Dodge said.
> 
>     Speculation about if and when that would happen ran throughout 
2002.
> 
>     On Jan. 29, Bush called Iraq, Iran and North Korea "an axis of 
evil."
> U.S. newspapers began reporting soon afterward that a U.S.-led war 
with Iraq
> was possible.
> 
>     On Oct. 16, the U.S. Congress voted to authorize Bush to go to war
> against Iraq. On Feb. 5, 2003, then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
> presented the Bush administration's case about Iraq's weapons to the 
U.N.
> Security Council. On March 19-20, the U.S.-led invasion began.
> 
>     Bush and Blair both have been criticized at home since their WMD 
claims
> about Iraq proved false. But both have been re-elected, defending the
> conflict for removing a brutal dictator and promoting democracy in 
Iraq.
> Both administrations have dismissed the memos as old news.
> 
>     Details of the memos appeared in papers early last month but the 
news in
> Britain quickly turned to the election that returned Blair to power. 
In the
> United States, however, details of the memos' contents reignited a
> firestorm, especially among Democratic critics of Bush.
> 
>     It was in a March 14, 2002, memo that Blair's chief foreign policy
> adviser, David Manning, told the prime minister about the dinner he 
had just
> had with Rice in Washington.
> 
>     "We spent a long time at dinner on Iraq," wrote Manning, who's now
> British ambassador to the United States. Rice is now Bush's secretary 
of
> state.
> 
>     "It is clear that Bush is grateful for your (Blair's) support and 
has
> registered that you are getting flak. I said that you would not budge 
in
> your support for regime change but you had to manage a press, a 
Parliament
> and a public opinion that was very different than anything in the 
States.
> And you would not budge either in your insistence that, if we pursued 
regime
> change, it must be very carefully done and produce the right result. 
Failure
> was not an option."
> 
>     Manning said, "Condi's enthusiasm for regime change is undimmed." 
But he
> also said there were signs of greater awareness of the practical
> difficulties and political risks.
> 
>     Blair was to meet with Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on 
April 8,
> and Manning told his boss: "No doubt we need to keep a sense of 
perspective.
> But my talks with Condi convinced me that Bush wants to hear your 
views on
> Iraq before taking decisions. He also wants your support. He is still
> smarting from the comments by other European leaders on his Iraq 
policy."
> 
>     A July 21 briefing paper given to officials preparing for a July 
23
> meeting with Blair says officials must "ensure that the benefits of 
action
> outweigh the risks."
> 
>     "In particular we need to be sure that the outcome of the military
> action would match our objective... A postwar occupation of Iraq 
could lead
> to a protracted and costly nation-building exercise. As already made 
clear,
> the U.S. military plans are virtually silent on this point."
> 
>     The British worried that, "Washington could look to us to share a
> disproportionate share of the burden. Further work is required to 
define
> more precisely the means by which the desired end state would be 
created, in
> particular what form of government might replace Saddam Hussein's 
regime and
> the time scale within which it would be possible to identify a 
successor."
> 
>     In the March 22 memo from Foreign Office political director 
Ricketts to
> Foreign Secretary Straw, Ricketts outlined how to win public and
> parliamentary support for a war in Britain: "We have to be convincing 
that:
> the threat is so serious/imminent that it is worth sending our troops 
to die
> for; it is qualitatively different from the threat posed by other
> proliferators who are closer to achieving nuclear capability 
(including
> Iran)."
> 
>     Blair's government has been criticized for releasing an 
intelligence
> dossier on Iraq before the war that warned Saddam could launch 
chemical or
> biological weapons on 45 minutes' notice.
> 
>     On March 25 Straw wrote a memo to Blair, saying he would have a 
tough
> time convincing the governing Labour Party that a pre-emptive strike 
against
> Iraq was legal under international law.
> 
>     "If 11 September had not happened, it is doubtful that the U.S. 
would
> now be considering military action against Iraq," Straw wrote. "In 
addition,
> there has been no credible evidence to link Iraq with OBL (Osama bin 
Laden)
> and al-Qaida."
> 
>     He also questioned stability in a post-Saddam Iraq: "We have also 
to
> answer the big question - what will this action achieve? There seems 
to be a
> larger hole in this than on anything."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 8
> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 20:46:53 -0400
> From: "Robin McNamara" <olhippie at tampabay.rr.com>
> Subject: Re: [Mb-hair] Memos Show British Fretting over Iraq War By
> 	ThomasWagner The Associated Press
> To: <mb-hair at islandlists.com>
> Message-ID: <000a01c57531$8d6b6480$8a03ca44 at CowBox>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> 	reply-type=original
> 
> Michael
> 
> Are we really thinking about people "fretting" over the war, what a 
fuckin'
> joke that is.
> 
> Love forever
> Robin
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Butler" <michael at michaelbutler.com>
> To: "Civic" <mb-civic at islandlists.com>; "HAIR List"
> <mb-hair at islandlists.com>
> Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 8:37 PM
> Subject: [Mb-hair] Memos Show British Fretting over Iraq War By 
ThomasWagner
> The Associated Press
> 
> 
> >    Go to Original
> >
> >    Memos Show British Fretting over Iraq War
> >    By Thomas Wagner
> >    The Associated Press
> >
> >    Saturday 18 June 2005
> >
> >    When Prime Minister Tony Blair's chief foreign policy adviser 
dined
> > with
> > Condoleezza Rice six months after Sept. 11, the then-U.S. national
> > security
> > adviser didn't want to discuss Osama bin Laden or al-Qadir. She 
wanted to
> > talk about "regime change" in Iraq, setting the stage for the U.S.-
led
> > invasion more than a year later.
> >
> >    President Bush wanted Blair's support, but British officials 
worried
> > the
> > White House was rushing to war, according to a series of leaked 
secret
> > Downing Street memos that have renewed questions and debate about
> > Washington's motives for ousting Saddam Hussein.
> >
> >    In one of the memos, British Foreign Office political director 
Peter
> > Ricketts openly asks whether the Bush administration had a clear and
> > compelling military reason for war.
> >
> >    "U.S. scrambling to establish a link between Iraq and al-Qaida 
is so
> > far
> > frankly unconvincing," Ricketts says in the memo. "For Iraq, `regime
> > change'
> > does not stack up. It sounds like a grudge between Bush and Saddam."
> >
> >    The documents confirm Blair was genuinely concerned about 
Saddam's
> > alleged weapons of mass destruction, but also indicate he was 
determined
> > to
> > go to war as America's top ally, even though his government thought 
a
> > pre-emptive attack may be illegal under international law.
> >
> >    "The truth is that what has changed is not the pace of Saddam 
Hussein's
> > WMD programs, but our tolerance of them post-11 September," said a 
typed
> > copy of a March 22, 2002 memo obtained Thursday by The Associated 
Press
> > and
> > written to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
> >
> >    "But even the best survey of Iraq's WMD programs will not show 
much
> > advance in recent years on the nuclear, missile or CW/BW (chemical 
or
> > biological weapons) fronts: the programs are extremely worrying but 
have
> > not, as far as we know, been stepped up."
> >
> >    Details from Rice's dinner conversation also are included in one 
of the
> > secret memos from 2002, which reveal British concerns about both the
> > invasion and poor postwar planning by the Bush administration, which
> > critics
> > say has allowed the Iraqi insurgency to rage.
> >
> >    The eight memos - all labeled "secret" or "confidential" - were 
first
> > obtained by British reporter Michael Smith, who has written about 
them in
> > The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times.
> >
> >    Smith told AP he protected the identity of the source he had 
obtained
> > the documents from by typing copies of them on plain paper and 
destroying
> > the originals.
> >
> >    The AP obtained copies of six of the memos (the other two have
> > circulated widely). A senior British official who reviewed the 
copies said
> > their content appeared authentic. He spoke on condition of anonymity
> > because
> > of the secret nature of the material.
> >
> >    The Sunday Times this week reported that lawyers told the British
> > government that U.S. and British bombing of Iraq in the months 
before the
> > war was illegal under international law. That report, also by 
Smith, noted
> > that almost a year before the war started, they began to strike more
> > frequently.
> >
> >    The newspaper quoted Lord Goodhart, vice president of the 
International
> > Commission of Jurists, as backing the Foreign Office lawyers' view 
that
> > aircraft could only patrol the no-fly zones to deter attacks by 
Saddam's
> > forces.
> >
> >    Goodhart said that if "the purpose was to soften up Iraq for a 
future
> > invasion or even to intimidate Iraq, the coalition forces were 
acting
> > without lawful authority," the Sunday Times reported.
> >
> >    The eight documents reported earlier total 36 pages and range 
from
> > 10-page and eight-page studies on military and legal options in 
Iraq, to
> > brief memorandums from British officials and the minutes of a 
private
> > meeting held by Blair and his top advisers.
> >
> >    Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert who teaches at Queen Mary College,
> > University
> > of London, said the documents confirmed what post-invasion 
investigations
> > have found.
> >
> >    "The documents show what official inquiries in Britain already 
have,
> > that the case of weapons of mass destruction was based on thin
> > intelligence
> > and was used to inflate the evidence to the level of mendacity," 
Dodge
> > said.
> > "In going to war with Bush, Blair defended the special relationship
> > between
> > the two countries, like other British leaders have. But he knew he 
was
> > taking a huge political risk at home. He knew the war's legality was
> > questionable and its unpopularity was never in doubt."
> >
> >    Dodge said the memos also show Blair was aware of the postwar
> > instability that was likely among Iraq's complex mix of Sunnis, 
Shiites
> > and
> > Kurds once Saddam was defeated.
> >
> >    The British documents confirm, as well, that "soon after 9/11 
happened,
> > the starting gun was fired for the invasion of Iraq," Dodge said.
> >
> >    Speculation about if and when that would happen ran throughout 
2002.
> >
> >    On Jan. 29, Bush called Iraq, Iran and North Korea "an axis of 
evil."
> > U.S. newspapers began reporting soon afterward that a U.S.-led war 
with
> > Iraq
> > was possible.
> >
> >    On Oct. 16, the U.S. Congress voted to authorize Bush to go to 
war
> > against Iraq. On Feb. 5, 2003, then-Secretary of State Colin L. 
Powell
> > presented the Bush administration's case about Iraq's weapons to 
the U.N.
> > Security Council. On March 19-20, the U.S.-led invasion began.
> >
> >    Bush and Blair both have been criticized at home since their WMD 
claims
> > about Iraq proved false. But both have been re-elected, defending 
the
> > conflict for removing a brutal dictator and promoting democracy in 
Iraq.
> > Both administrations have dismissed the memos as old news.
> >
> >    Details of the memos appeared in papers early last month but the 
news
> > in
> > Britain quickly turned to the election that returned Blair to 
power. In
> > the
> > United States, however, details of the memos' contents reignited a
> > firestorm, especially among Democratic critics of Bush.
> >
> >    It was in a March 14, 2002, memo that Blair's chief foreign 
policy
> > adviser, David Manning, told the prime minister about the dinner he 
had
> > just
> > had with Rice in Washington.
> >
> >    "We spent a long time at dinner on Iraq," wrote Manning, who's 
now
> > British ambassador to the United States. Rice is now Bush's 
secretary of
> > state.
> >
> >    "It is clear that Bush is grateful for your (Blair's) support 
and has
> > registered that you are getting flak. I said that you would not 
budge in
> > your support for regime change but you had to manage a press, a 
Parliament
> > and a public opinion that was very different than anything in the 
States.
> > And you would not budge either in your insistence that, if we 
pursued
> > regime
> > change, it must be very carefully done and produce the right result.
> > Failure
> > was not an option."
> >
> >    Manning said, "Condi's enthusiasm for regime change is 
undimmed." But
> > he
> > also said there were signs of greater awareness of the practical
> > difficulties and political risks.
> >
> >    Blair was to meet with Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on 
April
> > 8,
> > and Manning told his boss: "No doubt we need to keep a sense of
> > perspective.
> > But my talks with Condi convinced me that Bush wants to hear your 
views on
> > Iraq before taking decisions. He also wants your support. He is 
still
> > smarting from the comments by other European leaders on his Iraq 
policy."
> >
> >    A July 21 briefing paper given to officials preparing for a July 
23
> > meeting with Blair says officials must "ensure that the benefits of 
action
> > outweigh the risks."
> >
> >    "In particular we need to be sure that the outcome of the 
military
> > action would match our objective... A postwar occupation of Iraq 
could
> > lead
> > to a protracted and costly nation-building exercise. As already made
> > clear,
> > the U.S. military plans are virtually silent on this point."
> >
> >    The British worried that, "Washington could look to us to share a
> > disproportionate share of the burden. Further work is required to 
define
> > more precisely the means by which the desired end state would be 
created,
> > in
> > particular what form of government might replace Saddam Hussein's 
regime
> > and
> > the time scale within which it would be possible to identify a 
successor."
> >
> >    In the March 22 memo from Foreign Office political director 
Ricketts to
> > Foreign Secretary Straw, Ricketts outlined how to win public and
> > parliamentary support for a war in Britain: "We have to be 
convincing
> > that:
> > the threat is so serious/imminent that it is worth sending our 
troops to
> > die
> > for; it is qualitatively different from the threat posed by other
> > proliferators who are closer to achieving nuclear capability 
(including
> > Iran)."
> >
> >    Blair's government has been criticized for releasing an 
intelligence
> > dossier on Iraq before the war that warned Saddam could launch 
chemical or
> > biological weapons on 45 minutes' notice.
> >
> >    On March 25 Straw wrote a memo to Blair, saying he would have a 
tough
> > time convincing the governing Labour Party that a pre-emptive strike
> > against
> > Iraq was legal under international law.
> >
> >    "If 11 September had not happened, it is doubtful that the U.S. 
would
> > now be considering military action against Iraq," Straw wrote. "In
> > addition,
> > there has been no credible evidence to link Iraq with OBL (Osama bin
> > Laden)
> > and al-Qaida."
> >
> >    He also questioned stability in a post-Saddam Iraq: "We have 
also to
> > answer the big question - what will this action achieve? There 
seems to be
> > a
> > larger hole in this than on anything."
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Mb-hair mailing list
> > Mb-hair at islandlists.com
> > http://www.islandlists.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mb-hair
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
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> 
> End of Mb-hair Digest, Vol 12, Issue 26
> ***************************************
> 

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