I'm wondering if our man in Iraq is old Tariq here. ?The Government seems hell bent on this war - they must have some information that is so high level they need to be careful in divulging the source. To the extent that it's making the idea of a war risible and themselves posturing.

They need to protect the source so much?

777 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 2:24:06 AM  . .
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""The chief duty of international politics is to prevent war. That is our orientation," Mr SchrSchrÖderder told the German parliament. "No politics of expediency and no security doctrine must lead us to become accustomed to war as a normal political means.""

Excellent statesman this geezer SchrÖder. Perfect statement. Keep saying it sir, lest we forget.

776 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 2:02:56 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Guardian: Schr&   214;der defends anti-war stance  

"Nearly 72% of people gave their religion as Christian (37 million) and the second largest faith was Islam with 1,547,000 followers or 3% of the population.

There were 552,000 Hindus, 329,000 Sikhs, 260,000 Jews and 144,000 Buddhists, while 7.7 million said they had no religion.

The number of Star Wars fans who gave their religion as "Jedi" - because of an internet campaign running at the time of the census - was 390,000, or 0.7% of the population."

775 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 1:57:02 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Guardian: Census shows large rise in UK ethnic population

"The most likely is thought to be a lightweight missile strike on a US or Israeli passenger aircraft. Other possibilities are a poison gas attack on London's crowded rail network, a huge car bomb or attempted assassination."

Everything, but the kitchen sink then. They left out one man wandering about with small pox.

774 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 1:48:31 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Daily Mirror: fears as Britain is put on high state of alert

"Saudi Arabia has confirmed that Western military troops will leave the kingdom later this year.

Saudi officials said U.S., British and French forces would leave the kingdom after the conclusion of a war against Iraq. They said Saudi Arabia would relay a formal request to NATO countries to end their military presence once the regime of President Saddam Hussein is toppled and order is restored in Iraq."

As I read about Bush being confident, Rumsfield being manipulative, and Tennet being 'truthful' now I read about (again) the coalition falling apart. But, I bet pulling out of Saudi suits the US. They'll need their resources in Iraq. And there's the oil. The unstable religious debate in Saudi. The lack of support... I'm sure the US is 'well happy.'

773 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 1:38:03 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: IMRA: Saudis confirm plans to end U.S. military presence

"On the eve of a showdown over Iraq, President Bush said Thursday the United Nations must help him confront Saddam Hussein or "fade into history as an ineffective, irrelevant, debating society.""

772 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 1:12:07 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Washington Post: Bush Urges Allies at U.N. To Show 'Backbone' .com)

"Lee Hamilton, the former chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, added pointedly: 'It's an overwhelming temptation to manipulate intelligence to serve policy and, to some extent, I think that's what's happening here with Iraq.'

Tenet did, however, leave the Bush conspiracists something to cling to. In his letter to Graham, he played up the alleged links between al-Qaeda and Iraq, saying: 'We have solid reporting of senior level contacts between Iraq and al-Qaeda going back a decade.

Credible information indicates that Iraq and al-Qaeda have discussed safe haven and reciprocal non-aggression ... we have solid evidence of the presence in Iraq of al-Qaeda members ... we have credible reporting that al-Qaeda leaders sought contacts in Iraq, who could help them acquire WMD capabilities ... Iraq has provided training to al-Qaeda members in areas of poisons and gases and making conventional bombs.'

This was not a smoking gun, but it kept suspicions alive that Iraq might just pass terrorists WMDs any day now. Tenet's tentative connection between Iraq and al-Qaeda is a far cry from the findings of his counterparts in Europe..."

771 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 1:08:50 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Sunday Herald: Why the CIA thinks Bush is wrong

"'The League failed because it could not create action from its words ... At each stage good men said wait; the evil is not big enough to challenge: then before their eyes, the evil became too big to challenge,' Straw said ominously after Powell's multimedia extravaganza.

The US appears to expect no less than the UN should become a supine adjunct to the world's superpower, rubber-stamping its every foreign policy whim, while allowing it to opt out of inconvenient little treaties such as the International Criminal Court.

This is the new world order and it seems that the UN and its security council is powerless to stop it, mostly because ultimately the countries that make up the Security Council are, like the US, more concerned with their own self-interest than safeguarding the principles of international law.

Down at the UN there seems to be little doubt but that Bush will get his war.

'It's like Gulliver and the Lilliputans,' said one UN diplomat, who represents a security council member state.

'We can try to tie him down all we want but at the end of the day we know he can get up and walk all over us.'"

770 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 1:05:46 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Sunday Herald: George W Bush is carrying a big stick -- and a large chequebook

"Following the September 11 attacks, the Pentagon established an Office of Strategic Influence, which would provide news items, true or false, as part of an operation to influence public sentiment in friendly and unfriendly countries. Following concern that it could damage the US and put lives at risk, the office was closed down but, in an interview late last year, Donald Rumsfeld conceded that its aims were still being pursued.

'And then there was the Office of Strategic Influence,' he told a press briefing on November 16, 2002. 'You may recall that. And 'oh my goodness gracious isn't that terrible, Henny Penny the sky is going to fall'. I went down that next day and said fine, if you want to savage this thing, fine I'll give you the corpse. There's the name. You can have the name, but I'm gonna keep doing every single thing that needs to be done and I have.'"

769 Also posted to: Home page .  At: 12:57:29 AM  . .
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Other title(s) for this story: Sunday Herald: Behind Colin Powell's dossier on Iraq