On Saturday, LNS was front and center with raised fist
at the first rally to defend the duly elected Governor
of California against a $30 million right-wing
financed "recall" effort being fueled by the
foolishness of the Green Party (who are frittering
away an historic opportunity to demonstrate some
political acumen and some mature principles by uniting
in a center/left coalition against extremism).
This morning, before I clicked on to the BBC, I scoped
out SeeNotNews just to see if the fix had deterioated
any further and to see what the propaganda feed was
proffering today...Two more US soldiers died in Iraq
(for what?)...There was also a fascinating piece on
Americans leaving for Canada ("Dismayed Americans
contemplate Canada") because Canada stood for what
America was supposed to stand for (Canada, of course,
unlike Australia, stood up to the _resident on Iraq).
One woman said, "I don't want to stay and fight
anymore. I can have that bittersweet love for my
country from somewhere else."
Meanwhile, keep the focus on Dr. Kelly's mysterious
death serendipitiously occuring while the _resident
and the shell of man formerly known as Tony Blair met
in D.C. to a) get their stories straight, and b) have
the shell of a man formerly known as Tony Blair
deliver the speech that the _resident is incapable of
delivering...Consider Kelly's e-mail to the NYTwits a
few hours before his death, consider the remarks of
the Labour Party's Glenda Jackson (who resigned from
the government of the shell of a man formerly known as
Tony Blair) and CONSIDER most SERIOUSLY the remarks of
Richard Butler (Hans Blix's predecessor)..."Out, out
damn spot."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3081027.stm
BBC says Kelly was weapons source
The BBC has disclosed that Dr David Kelly was the
principal source for its controversial report claiming
Downing Street "sexed up" an Iraq weapons dossier.
BBC director of news Richard Sambrook broke the news
after speaking to the family of the Iraq weapons
expert, who was found dead on Friday.
He said the corporation believed it correctly
interpreted and reported the information obtained from
Dr Kelly during interviews.
Mr Sambrook said the BBC had, until now, owed Dr Kelly
a duty of confidentiality and was "profoundly sorry"
that his involvement as the source for the reports had
ended in tragedy.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking as he left Korea
for China, said: "I am pleased that the BBC has made
this announcement. Whatever the differences, no one
wanted this tragedy to happen.
We can confirm that Dr Kelly was the principal source
for both Andrew Gilligan's report and for Susan Watts'
reports on Newsnight
Richard Sambrook
BBC Director of News
"I know that everyone, including the BBC, have been
shocked by it. The independent Hutton Inquiry has been
set up, it will establish the facts.
"In the meantime our attitude should be one of respect
and restraint, no recrimination, with the Kelly family
uppermost in our minds at this time."
Earlier Mr Blair said he would accept responsibility
for all the actions of government ministers and
officials, but ruled out recalling Parliament.
Police confirmed on Saturday Dr Kelly, a senior
Ministry of Defence adviser, had bled to death from a
cut to his wrist.
'Not source'
In an e-mail reportedly sent to a New York Times
journalist hours before his death, Dr Kelly had
apparently warned of "many dark actors playing games".
The Sunday Times says Dr Kelly told one of its
reporters that he felt betrayed by the leaking of his
name by the Ministry of Defence and was under
"intolerable" pressure by being placed at the centre
of the weapons row.
In the end the government is my responsibility and I
can assure you the judge will be able to get to what
facts, what people, what papers he wants
Tony Blair
Prime minister
Last week Dr Kelly had told MPs he had spoken to BBC
reporter Andrew Gilligan, but said he did not believe
he was the main source for a story about claims that a
dossier on Iraq had been "sexed up" to boost public
support for military action.
He told the MPs: "From the conversation I had I don't
see how he could make the authoritative statement he
was making from the comments I made."
According to television journalist Tom Mangold, a
friend, Dr Kelly believed he was the source for about
60% of Mr Gilligan's report.
Responsibility
The government has set up an independent judicial
inquiry, led by Lord Hutton, into the circumstances
surrounding Dr Kelly's death. Both Mr Blair and the
BBC have said they will cooperate fully.
The BBC statement prompted Dr Kelly's local MP, Tory
Robert Jackson, to call for the resignation of the BBC
chairman Gavyn Davies.
Ex-Labour minister Glenda Jackson has called for Tony
Blair to quit, saying the blame for Dr Kelly's death
lay with Downing Street, which, she said, used a
battle with the BBC to divert attention from the
failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has called for
Parliament to be recalled and for a broadening of the
inquiry to investigate the government's handling of
intelligence on Iraq.
But the prime minister told Sky News' Sunday With Adam
Boulton programme that a recall of Parliament would
"generate more heat than light" and that Dr Kelly's
family should be allowed time to grieve.
Mr Blair said he would take responsibility for the
actions of officials such as his communications
director Alastair Campbell: "In the end the government
is my responsibility and I can assure you the judge
will be able to get to what facts, what people, what
papers he wants."
He added: "At the present time this is far more
something to do with the personal tragedy of Dr Kelly
and I think that's actually what should be uppermost
in our minds and has been in mine."
Asked if he had the appetite to go on as prime
minister, Mr Blair replied: "Absolutely."
Obsession
Dr Kelly's family said he was a "loving, private and
dignified" man and appealed for time to grieve.
His body was discovered in woodland near his
Oxfordshire home on Friday morning, with a knife and a
packet of painkillers close by.
Events over recent weeks made David's life intolerable
and all of those involved should reflect long and hard
on this fact
Kelly family statement
Richard Butler, former chief UN weapons inspector,
said it appeared the British, American and Australian
governments had "pumped up" the threat in the run-up
to war.
Mr Butler told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend
that Dr Kelly, a friend and colleague, was a "good
man... of probity and integrity".
"It follows logically from that, if he thought that
things were being pumped up, he would have objected to
it."
Dr Kelly is survived by his wife, Janice, and three
daughters Sian, 32, and 30-year-old twins Rachel and
Ellen.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3081027.stm
Published: 2003/07/20 16:20:21 GMT
© BBC MMIII
Posted by richard at July 21, 2003 01:34 PM