BUSH PLOT TO BOMB HIS ARAB ALLY
Mirror.co.uk - News - EXCLUSIVE: BUSH PLOT TO BOMB HIS ARAB ALLY: "PRESIDENT Bush planned to bomb Arab TV station al-Jazeera in friendly Qatar, a 'Top Secret' No 10 memo reveals.
But he was talked out of it at a White House summit by Tony Blair, who said it would provoke a worldwide backlash.
A source said: 'There's no doubt what Bush wanted, and no doubt Blair didn't want him to do it.' Al-Jazeera is accused by the US of fuelling the Iraqi insurgency.
The attack would have led to a massacre of innocents on the territory of a key ally, enraged the Middle East and almost certainly have sparked bloody retaliation.
A source said last night: '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.'
A Government official suggested that the Bush threat had been 'humorous, not serious'.
But another source declared: 'Bush was deadly serious, as was Blair. That much is absolutely clear from the language used by both men.'"
Comments
Is the Mirror a trusted newspaper? I don't know anything about them and want to make sure. I do believe the story though. In the documentary "Control Room," a US jet bombed and killed a reporter from al-Jazeera.
Depends what you mean by "trusted". The Mirror's been consistently anti-war and last year the editor was sacked by the owners for holding the line over a story that the "Lancashires" had brutalised Iraqi prisoners. Right now members of that regiment are awaiting trial for crimes and war crimes in Iraq. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4698251.stm if you "trust" the BBC.
Five minutes ago on BBC TV a Brit MP spoke out and said this document was genuine. Paxman for newsnight interviewed Frank Gaffney, one of your guys , as much as I could gather he is the head of some right wing think tank in the US. He said bombing AL Jezeera was quite justified, given Al Jazeera in Bagdad and Kabul were both bombed "accidently" it does make one wonder slightly.
not surprised.
This is Freaking crazy! how more obvious of his disdain for the first amendment this is, if it is actually true. The ONLY free press in the Middle East and bush actually wants to bomb it? Now, I am far from a bush supporter, but this seems hard to believe, it is just so unbelievable for a US president to go against the core principals and morals of this country and its foundations. of course I never thought we would torture either, now apparently we are. Nor did i ever think we would violate the right of habeas corpus so badly. or go against the UN charter on war and launch our first 'pre-emptive' war. And i also thought the civil rights struggle was over and that America realized marriage is a civil right. Come to think of it, i don't put it past W.
Well, apparently they are bringing charges against the official who "leaked" the memo, so it appears to have validity...
Bush plans to bomb al-Jazeera ... earlier, another Tory threatens to nuke Argentina. Hugo Chavez had better double up on the guards ...
This is exactly the kind of thing I expect from this administration. They don't have much regard for the first amendment here. Our media is so corporatized and regulated by the FCC. This administration has said anss done many things that publicly look bad for them and they cover it up and then attack whomever winds up letting the world know what they've done.
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