Downing Street: Not Necessarily New News

I am please with the growing attention to the Downing Street memo. Many are expressing serious concerns over the statement, "But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy", as they SHOULD be. However, it bears keeping in mind that the Project for the New American Century has, since it's inception in 1997, consistently made a case for regime change in Iraq. Given the direct line most of these people have to the president (his brother, his V.P., his secretary of defense, etc....) the revelations of the Memo simply confirm what is openly posted on the neo-cons own website. Of course, W has not posted articles on the site and his name does not show up as being part of the organization so his deniability is nicely intact. However, several of his administration have been drafted from this organization which clearly states its recommendations for US policy.

There are plenty of articles, but I'd like to point you to this one in particular by the PFNAC entitled, "Letter to President Clinton on Iraq" which is dated January 26, 1998. WMD's are highlighted and I'll emphasize the following:

"In the long term, it means removing Saddam Hussein and his regime from power. That now needs to become the aim of American foreign policy."

Later articles are consistent with this theme, and you can access them on the PNAC site.

Another interesting article is on this page. Click on or download the article at the top entitled "Rebuilding America's Defenses". It's about 90 pages so I'll pull a couple quotes out for you. Please note that this article is dated September 2000:

"American military preeminence will continue to rest in significant part on the ability to maintain sufficient land forces to achieve political goals such as removing a dangerous and hostile regime when necessary."

"... Iraq, Iran, Libya and Syria – “already have or are developing ballistic missiles” that could threaten U.S allies and forces abroad."

Finally, there's the man himself in a July 8, 2002 press conference:

"Q But I wonder, Mr. President, regardless of when or how, is it your firm intention to get rid of Saddam Hussein in Iraq --

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q -- and how hard to you think it will be?

THE PRESIDENT: It's the stated policy of this government to have a regime change. And it hasn't changed. And we'll use all tools at our disposal to do so.."

So, I don't think it takes too much connecting the dots. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on perspective, this administration has felt so right and so impervious to scrutiny that they have done little to hide their intentions. WMDs were convenient justification for action that was decided on long ago. Or, as someone else on the inside said, "... the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy".