Secret British government papers leaked to The Telegraph in London reveal that before the
invasion of Iraq British officials believed “President George W. Bush merely wanted to complete
his father’s ‘unfinished business’ in a ‘grudge match’ against Saddam,” the newspaper reported
Saturday.
The report said further that British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s foreign policy adviser, Sir
David Manning, who had returned from talks in Washington in mid-March 2002, “did not see
terrorism as being a major element in American decision-making.” Manning also warned Blair in a
letter marked “Secret — strictly personal” that Bush “still has to find answers to the big
questions”, which included “what happens on the morning after?”
Found editorial: Photo was taken at the
Nassau Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, N.Y., by “a loyal
reader.”
The Telegram, a politically conservative newspaper, quotes Manning’s letter saying further, “I
think there is a real risk that the administration underestimates the difficulties. They may agree
that failure isn’t an option, but this does not mean they will necessarily avoid it.”
As we’ve known for a long time now — although, to believe the latest New York Times / CBS poll, the American electorate doesn’t seem to care — Dummy
Boy and his minions did underestimate the risks and never did find the answers. Just as they never
found the weapons of mass destruction they bragged they would find. Just as they have so far not
found Osama bin Laden, who has eluded capture, according to the CIA officer who once headed
the hunt, because they’ve been too busy screwing up in Iraq.
