War? Well only as a favor to you, George.
May 4, 2009 5:08 PM Subscribe
What lingering doubts anyone might have about the case for war in Iraq took another body blow today, as the former deputy director of MI6, claimed Britain had been "dragged into" the war.
MI6, officially known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), is responsible for foreign intelligence, similar to the CIA in the US. When it came to Iraq, however, the agency found itself acting as a propaganda arm for the government, rather than serving it's true mission. In 2003, Scott Ritter revealed an ongoing effort to convince the public that Iraq was a far greater threat than it actually was.
MI6 had been forced to reveal in 2004 that their primary rationale for going to war, the so-called "45-minutes" documents, were invalid, but they had continued to insist the war had been the "right thing to do". Today's news shows even that claim to be false.
MI6, officially known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), is responsible for foreign intelligence, similar to the CIA in the US. When it came to Iraq, however, the agency found itself acting as a propaganda arm for the government, rather than serving it's true mission. In 2003, Scott Ritter revealed an ongoing effort to convince the public that Iraq was a far greater threat than it actually was.
MI6 had been forced to reveal in 2004 that their primary rationale for going to war, the so-called "45-minutes" documents, were invalid, but they had continued to insist the war had been the "right thing to do". Today's news shows even that claim to be false.
And lets not forget the whole David Kelly thing.
posted by Artw at 5:20 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 5:20 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
Grrr. Fucking Blair.
I think fucking Blair at a time like this won't do any good. I mean, you throw a country into a war and then a few years later some random stranger comes to bugger you for it. I think we'd be sending the wrong message by fucking Blair, perhaps a strongly worded letter.
it would be in Comic-sans, to soften the blow
posted by hellojed at 5:23 PM on May 4, 2009 [2 favorites]
I think fucking Blair at a time like this won't do any good. I mean, you throw a country into a war and then a few years later some random stranger comes to bugger you for it. I think we'd be sending the wrong message by fucking Blair, perhaps a strongly worded letter.
it would be in Comic-sans, to soften the blow
posted by hellojed at 5:23 PM on May 4, 2009 [2 favorites]
No, let's fuck Blair. Let's fuck him with a huge Hague-shaped dildo.
posted by Sova at 5:35 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by Sova at 5:35 PM on May 4, 2009
Might I suggest shaking one's tiny fist at the telly and shouting. That usually teaches 'em a lesson.
posted by briank at 5:42 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by briank at 5:42 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
WT -- FUCK.
I can't believe, after all this time, all this nonsense, that I would reach the end of my fuse but that Q&A really did it.
Jesus Fucking H.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:47 PM on May 4, 2009
I can't believe, after all this time, all this nonsense, that I would reach the end of my fuse but that Q&A really did it.
Jesus Fucking H.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:47 PM on May 4, 2009
Can we just have a do-over on 2000–2008?
posted by adamrice at 5:48 PM on May 4, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by adamrice at 5:48 PM on May 4, 2009 [4 favorites]
Argh. I was so mad I posted in the double post. Grrrrrr.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:48 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:48 PM on May 4, 2009
Ack. My apologies. There's the MI5 revelation, the Condi Q&A, and the recent torture thread. Sorry to conflate them in any way. What a frigging mess.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:03 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:03 PM on May 4, 2009
I'm curious... who had, until today, lingering doubts that the case for the Iraq invasion was a beat-up?
Also, why should we care about such dolts?
posted by pompomtom at 6:24 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
Also, why should we care about such dolts?
posted by pompomtom at 6:24 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
Metafilter: Let's fuck him with a huge Hague-shaped dildo.
posted by AdamCSnider at 6:27 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by AdamCSnider at 6:27 PM on May 4, 2009
Well, where the fuck were you, Inkster? 2009 comes and suddenly everyone says, "My Goodness! My Conscience! I was looking for you, and you were behind the corn flakes all this time!".
At least he appears not to be flogging a weepy tell-all book.
posted by boo_radley at 6:28 PM on May 4, 2009 [2 favorites]
At least he appears not to be flogging a weepy tell-all book.
posted by boo_radley at 6:28 PM on May 4, 2009 [2 favorites]
Do the British loathe Blair even more passionately than we loathed Bush? If my only choice was between two war criminals, I might prefer the one who was extending the leather boot rather than the one licking it.
posted by Joe Beese at 6:28 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by Joe Beese at 6:28 PM on May 4, 2009
Well, it depends - say this were a Disney movie - who would you hate the most, the villain or the villains slimey suck-up henchperson?
posted by Artw at 6:43 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by Artw at 6:43 PM on May 4, 2009
is the henchman played by gilbert gottfried? this is important.
posted by boo_radley at 7:03 PM on May 4, 2009 [6 favorites]
posted by boo_radley at 7:03 PM on May 4, 2009 [6 favorites]
The U.S. also sat behind Britain in class and flicked its ear.
Y'know - yeah, the Iraq war sucks(ed) but I don't see this as a 'revelation' per se. As soon as you accept that the WMD thing was a lie, all the rest follows. This "against our better judgment" stuff is a cop out. Howabout a "we were wrong" sort of thing? Maybe an "I'm sorry" and a "I take responsibility for my actions" deal?
Still, better late than never. And I'm happy to see anything that furthers the case against the bastards that perpetrated this.
posted by Smedleyman at 7:08 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
Y'know - yeah, the Iraq war sucks(ed) but I don't see this as a 'revelation' per se. As soon as you accept that the WMD thing was a lie, all the rest follows. This "against our better judgment" stuff is a cop out. Howabout a "we were wrong" sort of thing? Maybe an "I'm sorry" and a "I take responsibility for my actions" deal?
Still, better late than never. And I'm happy to see anything that furthers the case against the bastards that perpetrated this.
posted by Smedleyman at 7:08 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
David Kelly RIP.
posted by fire&wings at 7:16 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by fire&wings at 7:16 PM on May 4, 2009
To be fair to Blair, it was a double-dog dare.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:26 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by kirkaracha at 7:26 PM on May 4, 2009 [1 favorite]
No, let's fuck Blair. Let's fuck him with a huge Hague-shaped dildo.
I don't think you meant William Hague, but that's what I thought of first...
posted by the christopher hundreds at 7:26 PM on May 4, 2009
I don't think you meant William Hague, but that's what I thought of first...
posted by the christopher hundreds at 7:26 PM on May 4, 2009
Mr Inkster said the world was moving from "being policed by America to be policed by nobody" and the danger of an increasingly unstable world meant populations were likely to fall back on the "snake oil and voodoo" of religious and nationalistic movements.
Awesome!!!
posted by stinkycheese at 8:22 PM on May 4, 2009
Awesome!!!
posted by stinkycheese at 8:22 PM on May 4, 2009
Gullible or criminal?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:30 PM on May 4, 2009
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:30 PM on May 4, 2009
Do the British loathe Blair even more passionately than we loathed Bush? If my only choice was between two war criminals, I might prefer the one who was extending the leather boot rather than the one licking it.
I'm not British, but I live here, and yes, I loathe Blair. Mostly because he's from the nominally left-wing party. He's supposed to be one of mine; and yet in every major decision he's taken, he's acted essentially like a Conservative/right-wing PM. If the UK had a Conservative government, I'd expect them to de-regulate the financial sector and give the police and security services more power and rush into war in support of the US - that's pretty much what the Conservatives are elected to do. Labour, I actually hoped for some progressive politics from. So I loathe Blair. Probably more than Bush.
posted by Infinite Jest at 11:57 PM on May 4, 2009
I'm not British, but I live here, and yes, I loathe Blair. Mostly because he's from the nominally left-wing party. He's supposed to be one of mine; and yet in every major decision he's taken, he's acted essentially like a Conservative/right-wing PM. If the UK had a Conservative government, I'd expect them to de-regulate the financial sector and give the police and security services more power and rush into war in support of the US - that's pretty much what the Conservatives are elected to do. Labour, I actually hoped for some progressive politics from. So I loathe Blair. Probably more than Bush.
posted by Infinite Jest at 11:57 PM on May 4, 2009
unstable world meant populations were likely to fall back on the "snake oil and voodoo" of religious and nationalistic movements.
Well, that'd be a great day for art, music, and dancing.
Tough for the RIAA to control it, too.
posted by rokusan at 2:34 AM on May 5, 2009
Well, that'd be a great day for art, music, and dancing.
Tough for the RIAA to control it, too.
posted by rokusan at 2:34 AM on May 5, 2009
You take your soldiers out, you put your businessmen in, and you shake it all about.
The British are leaving the soldiering to the Iraqi people, but they're all for investing in Iraq's industries and setting up shops. No more loss of bloody, and let's start earning money! What, it's not yet completely stable? The Iraqi people can handle that part!
posted by filthy light thief at 7:10 AM on May 5, 2009
The British are leaving the soldiering to the Iraqi people, but they're all for investing in Iraq's industries and setting up shops. No more loss of bloody, and let's start earning money! What, it's not yet completely stable? The Iraqi people can handle that part!
posted by filthy light thief at 7:10 AM on May 5, 2009
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posted by Artw at 5:10 PM on May 4, 2009