Re: a query - Are Short's allegations hurting Blair

["Eli Stephens" <elishastephens@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I'm here in the US, so I can't really answer the question (except in these
Internet days, I can read almost as much of the British press as any British
comrade), but I will make the following prediction: the pressure on Blair
(NOT the pressure on Bush, given the weak nature of both the press and the
political "opposition") is definitely going to increase the pressure on USuk
(where's Lou Paulsen these days, by the way?) to fabricate some evidence. I
still think actual planting of physical evidence will be way too risky, but
fabricating documentary evidence or buying phony testimony from Iraqi
scientists is certainly possible, and I think is now a LOT more likely given
the mounting pressure on Tony Blair. Blair's statement that he already HAS
"proof" of WMDs which he'll be releasing "any day now" (what's he waiting
for?) is evidence of that.

In the US, Congressional inquiries will come to naught. It STILL hasn't been
revealed who was on Dick Cheney's energy task force. In the UK, though, it
may well be a different story. I think building an international campaign
around this issue may well be a very effective way forward. The campaign
against the war in Iraq drew in large numbers of people who are certainly
not leftists and who undoubtedly believed (and still believe) that their
government (and capitalism) was "basically good" and was just making a poor
decision they had to object to. Those people have now "fallen away" from the
movement to a large extent. Exposing the ruling class (once again) as the
bald-faced liars that they are has the possibility to break down the
illusions of at least some of those people, help them to see the evil face
behind the pretty mask, and re-energize them in the fight. The fact that
Democrats and even some Republicans are making noises on this subject is to
our advantage, but of course they will try to steer the debate towards
"intelligence failures" rather than deliberate ruling class policy. It's up
to us to grab the rudder and head the debate in the right direction.

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