Bush 'plotted' to bomb al-Jazeera

Bush 'plotted' to bomb al-Jazeera
From correspondents in London
22nov05

US President George W. Bush planned to bomb pan-Arab television broadcaster al-Jazeera, British newspaper the Daily Mirror said today, citing a Downing Street memo marked "Top Secret".

The five-page transcript of a conversation between Mr Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair reveals that Mr Blair talked Mr Bush out of launching a military strike on the station, unnamed sources told the anti-war-in-Iraq daily.
The transcript of the pair's talks during Mr Blair's April 16, 2004, visit to Washington allegedly shows Mr Bush wanted to attack the satellite channel's headquarters.

Mr Blair allegedly feared such a strike, in the business district of Doha, the capital of Qatar, a key western ally in the Persian Gulf, would spark revenge attacks.

The Mirror quoted an unnamed British government official as saying Mr Bush's threat was "humorous, not serious".









Al-Jazeera's perspectives on the war in Iraq have drawn criticism from Washington since the US-led March 2003 invasion.

The station has broadcast messages from al-Qaeda terror network chief Osama bin Laden and the beheadings of Western hostages by insurgents in Iraq, as well as footage of dead coalition servicemen and Iraqi civilians killed in fighting.

A source told the Mirror: "The memo is explosive and hugely damaging to Bush.

"He made clear he wanted to bomb al-Jazeera in Qatar and elsewhere. Blair replied that would cause a big problem.

"There's no doubt what Bush wanted to do - and no doubt Blair didn't want him to do it."

Another source said: "Bush was deadly serious, as was Blair. That much is absolutely clear from the language used by both men."

A spokesman for Mr Blair's Downing Street office said: "We have got nothing to say about this story. We don't comment on leaked documents."

The Mirrorsaid the memo turned up in the office of then British MP Tony Clarke, a member of Mr Blair's Labour Party, in May 2004.

Civil servant David Keogh, 49, is accused under the Official Secrets Act of handing it it to Mr Clarke's former researcher Leo O'Connor, 42. Both are bailed to appear at Bow Street Magistrates Court in central London next week.

Mr Clarke returned the memo to Downing Street. He said Mr O'Connor had behaved "perfectly correctly".

He told Britain's domestic Press Association news agency that Mr O'Connor had done "exactly the right thing" in bringing it to his attention.

The Mirror said such a strike would have been "the most spectacular foreign policy disaster since the Iraq war itself".

The newspaper said that the memo "casts fresh doubt on claims that other attacks on al-Jazeera were accidents". It cited the 2001 direct hit on the channel's Kabul office.

Mr Blair's former defence minister Peter Kilfoyle challenged Downing Street to publish the transcript.

"I hope the Prime Minister insists this memo be published," he told the Mirror.

"It gives an insight into the mindset of those who were architects of the war."

The bu$heviks targeted al Jazeera even before the illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq.

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Originally Posted by catmando

The bu$heviks targeted al Jazeera even before the illegal, immoral invasion of Iraq.

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History will judge whether or not it was illegal but it would have been immoral to leave Iraq the way it was prior to the war.

As far as bombing al Jazeera? Go for it... :thumbsup:

and allow people to die just bcos they want to show the other side of the coin? ur statements have justified 9/11. let's bomb and kill people who don't agree with us. it's ok for anglo saxons to bomb arabs but it's not ok for arabs to attack anglo-saxons. are u for real?

why don't u ask the people that matter- the iraqis as to which circumstance was better? ur own media is stating that iraqis say they were better off under the person your own government's supported and funded - ie saddam.

and then u wonder why "they" hate you. i truly feel sorry for those supporting this war against humanity disguised as terrorism. just remember that what goes around comes around. history demonstrates all empires come to an end. the only question is how badly will the house of cards aka USA will crumble.

fair go.

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Originally Posted by everwiser

History will judge whether or not it was illegal but it would have been immoral to leave Iraq the way it was prior to the war.

As far as bombing al Jazeera? Go for it... :thumbsup:

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ROFLMAO! You take what comes from the hard-left bias US media as some measure of truth? You think that because the major media in the US says that Iraqis think they were better off with Saddam that it is true?

If you see actual reports and footage of the majority of Iraqis are thankful to be rid of Saddam. Only the loyalists and insurgents are sorry he is gone.

I believe that the US needs to help the Iraqis become self sufficient as soon as possible and get out. Only those who want tyrany back want the the US out before the Iraqis can fend for themselves!

LOL - the article was from a UK publication

Is it April 1?

Same reports all over US media as well. Does not matter whether it is ABC or BBC it's basicly the same reporting, misreporting, agenda driven propoganda.

So where do you get your information from?

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Originally Posted by Hoop

Same reports all over US media as well. Does not matter whether it is ABC or BBC it's basicly the same reporting, misreporting, agenda driven propoganda.

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You got that right!

If you're a liberal, any kind of liberal except Joe Lieberman, you get glowing press. If you're a conservative absolutely every single move of yours will be scrutinized and always looked at as evil or suspicious regardless of how much good you do. Any press that will categorize Christians as "radicals" and muslim fundamentalist terrorists as "freedom fighters" is not one to be trusted.

(Before you bust my chops, yhlc, I am not saying that "all" muslim fundamentalists are terrorists. That would be like saying all blond-haired, blue-eyed white people are neo-nazis. It doesn't apply to every person in either comparison but actually a very small minority in either group.)

why the President would have negative feelings toward an organization which show videos of innocents being beheaded. Surely that is just journalistic freedom.

Also, although not all Muslim fundamentalist are murderers, in that part of the world, most murderers are Muslim fundamentalists.

The problem is not with the religion, but with the belief that one has the only answer and that everyone else is wrong.

look, some of u guys want to believe that the oppressive invasion of iraq is for the "good" then fine. im not going to argue that. it's no point. talk to any iraqi that came as a refugee and they will tell you that althouhg they may like your nation, they are not happy with the "Way" USA has tried help(hinder) their country. go ahead. ask a few and ull hear the stories. i have and i am horrified.

my response was to the notion that it was ok to bomb a media outlet (holding civilians) just bcos the information does not conform to US propoganda criteria. that is just barbaric and is the same as those justifying attacks agains the USA.

u should be ashamed of yourself. how would u feel if i (or anyone) said it was "ok" to bomb fox, cnn or any organisation inciting hatred against muslims/arabs?

i don't agree with methods used by iraqis to defend their nation(suicide/car bombs) but then again, i dont agree that military personnel killing innocent civilians(anywhere) shoudl consider these deaths as "collateral damage". however, when an anglo-saxon nation kills innocents, it's ok in the name of preserving "freedom" and "liberty" (is tehre such a thing anymore?)

i don't care about saddam, OBL, bush or ariel sharon. they can all go to hell where they belong. im concerned when an indiviudal thinks it's ok to kill civilians and dares to justify it or euphamise the act. this intself is a form of oppression and i will not stand in the way of those seeking justice.

everwise, please be wiser the next time you state your opinion regarding inciting violence against innocent people or organisations containing civilians. i can understand how you are lead to believe that your nation is doing the right thing in iraq. it's not just you, it's any nationlist who is eager to accept that their government only wants to help and has no self -interest.

you know the saying about those born every minute.

im not saying they were better off. the people ive spoken (and lots of them) say the were better under his form of oppression. i would rather be oppressed by my own then some foreign invader.

having said that, im not defending saddam or his baath party. he had to go just like bush and sharon have to go. your comment about the insurgents wanting saddam back is incorrect. they just want they country back. it's a shia/kurdish/sunni issue. most do not want saddam back. but they don't want another dictator dictating what kind of regime they should have or which american puppet should be campaigning for election.

There are many countries that need to have their dictators disposed (including the US). why does the USA only want to "help" afghanistan, iraq and soon, syria and iran? why not the endless number of countries in africa, south east easis as well as south america?

the US is not going to leave. at least not 100% of the troops. they are still in korea, vietnam, russia, bosnia, serbia, croatia, parts of the middle east. go ahead, call any professor of international realations of ANY university and they will elaborate on my above statement.

THE US military needs to "oversee" all operations for "national interest". It's called neo-colonialism.

some of you will believe anything your government feeds you. that's ok. if everybody could think independently, the world would be no fun. nobdy wants tyrany. why don't u ask your government why they trained and funded saddam in the first place and why they didn't address his atrocities when he was battling iran on america's behalf?

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Originally Posted by Hoop

If you see actual reports and footage of the majority of Iraqis are thankful to be rid of Saddam. Only the loyalists and insurgents are sorry he is gone.

I believe that the US needs to help the Iraqis become self sufficient as soon as possible and get out. Only those who want tyrany back want the the US out before the Iraqis can fend for themselves!

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