Bigger than the Downing Street Memo…

Jeremy Scahill has written an article on the website of The Nation, revealing that the War in Iraq was begun almost immediately following the Downing Street Memo…and months before it was declared.

The RAF and US aircraft doubled the rate at which they were dropping bombs on Iraq in an attempt to provoke Saddam Hussein into giving the allies an excuse for war. The Times of London cites newly released statistics from the British Defense Ministry showing that the Allies dropped twice as many bombs on Iraq in the second half of 2002 as they did during the whole of 2001 and that “a full air offensive” (in other words, a war) was under way months before the invasion had officially begun. Supposedly part of enforcing “no fly zones,” the bombings were actually systematic assaults on Iraq’s capacity to defend itself. Targets included telephone exchange buildings, ground units of the Republican Guard (because we all know that ground units violate no-fly zones all the time, right?), and radar installations. The US had never declared war. Bush had no authorization. He was simply attacking another nation because he’d decided to do so. This preemptive war preempted our own Congress, as well as international law.

Of course, this will most likely be ignored by the American media as well.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) and other Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are holding a public forum (they can’t be called “hearings”, because no Republicans are showing up) on the Downing Street Memo, and these newly uncovered facts. Of course, CNN (and the rest of the American media) are reporting it as a minor, partisan event. Much more important to spend coverage time on Michael Jackson, after all.

It only takes one member of Congress to begin an impeachment process. Conyers has said he’s considering it. I hope he does–that’s a sexy enough story that the mediawhores couldn’t possibly ignore it.