The Real News in the Downing Street Memos

Commentary by Michael Smith, the guy who first reported on the DSM, in the LATimes:

I did not then regard the now-infamous memo - the one that includes the minutes of the July 23 meeting - as the most important. My main article focused on the separate briefing paper for those taking part, prepared beforehand by Cabinet Office experts.

In other words, Bush and Blair began their war not in March 2003, as everyone believed, but at the end of August 2002, six weeks before Congress approved military action against Iraq.

The way in which the intelligence was "fixed" to justify war is old news.

The real news is the shady April 2002 deal to go to war, the cynical use of the U.N. to provide an excuse, and the secret, illegal air war without the backing of Congress (my emphasis).

We've all heard about this and posted about it, it's nothing brand new. Since this article came out just today straight from the pen of the guy who broke the story in the first place, I think it bears repeating for this reason: Most of the attention on the DSM concentrates on "fixing" the policy, and why the media hasn't pushed it more. I think perhaps we're not seeing the forest because of all the trees.

I think Mr. Smith is bringing attention to the more important issue, and I think he's right. By now, the media has sort of been hit in the face with the DSM to the point where it had to say something about it, but so far all I've heard about is the "fixing". It is old news.

We all know this administration lies like a rug. Remember, please, that they are also adept at deception and misdirection, sleight of hand if you will, and may be perfectly happy to let the debate spin its wheels on the less important issue. Lying to Congress about WMD is one thing: they can get away with it even though everybody knows they made it all up, because they can always shift the blame to "poor intelligence" and at least have a (legally) reasonable doubt, barring the emergence of a new-age Deep Throat (Please, Lord!). They control the Congress and know they're not going to get impeached over this.

Howsomever, if Congress figures out that the (p)resident started a war without even asking them like it says to do in the Constitution, they might get pissed off and do something, even if just out of spite from being ignored like they're just "the help". Maybe it's time we started pushing the BBP instead of just the DSM. Think about it.