I'm normally a supporter of the cock-up theory of history and not a
conspiracy man, but I've had to become the latter when considering Bush's
Iraq policy. Some very odd things are going on at senior level in the US
and UK governments.
Three days ago Vice President Dick Cheney, repeated the tone and substance
of Rumsfeld's recent speech by saying that a return of inspectors to Iraq
"would provide no assurance whatsoever" and that it would provide "false
comfort". Yesterday it was revealed by the BBC for a forthcoming TV
programme that Secretary of State Powell -- normally the second-most
powerful person in the US and usually expected to be totally faithful to
the President -- has repeated his long-held view that UN inspectors should
return rather than attack Iraq.
The White House didn't seem to be too concerned about this and spokesman
Scott McClellan's insouciant response was there is no widening of debate
within the administration! There was no difference of opinion or emphasis
between Cheney and Powell. He seemed to be backing both an inspection
policy and an invasion/overthrow policy by saying that "unfettered
inspection are not enough."
There are either fierce differences within the administration at high level
or there is, indeed, a conspiracy going on in the
Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Wolfowitz camp and Powell has been totally sidelined.
In the UK, there can be little doubt that Blair knows a great deal more of
what is in the mind of Bush or he wouldn't possibly be so gung-ho when
faced with bitter opposition from his own party and to all the rest of the
world with the possible exception of Australia and Turkey. Very senior
government ministers have let it be known discreetly Blair has probably
been allowed to tell Foreign Secretary Straw -- a very astute operator
indeed -- because he is using words rather similarly to the White House
spokesman above, using words both ways.
One person who has been taking an enormous amount of flak from the army
generals is Defence Secretary Noon. Bush has probably not allowed Blair to
tell him what the real truth of the matter is, because Noon has made sure
that he's said absolutely nothing in recent weeks despite the consternation
that amounts almost to a revolution within his own Ministry. But he'll
probably know soon because he's flying to Washington this week to be briefed.
The long article in Time magazine, "Secret History of the Sept 11 failure"
by Michael Elliot, reveals just how much the CIA and FBI (as well as
Clinton thro Bush) have been dominated by fears of the Al Qaeda network,
and that there have been a great many more attacks, foiled attacks and
arrests than is realised by the ordinary reader of the press. Between now
and the anniversary next week, the Bush administration must be walking on
egg shells. It could only take one Al Qaeda attack for the whole US
population to suddenly wake up and realise that all Bush's ranting about
overthrowing Saddam Hussein is really beside the point.
Keith Hudson
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Keith Hudson, General Editor, Handlo Music, http://www.handlo.com
6 Upper Camden Place, Bath BA1 5HX, England
Tel: +44 1225 312622; Fax: +44 1225 447727; mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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