Impeach Bush? You'll need a smoking gun

The President says he doesn't read polls. It's a good thing, too. The last thing we need is a dry-drunk with a serious case of depression and a finger on the nyooclear button. If did try to keep track of what his constituents want, he would learn that most Americans think he should be impeached if he lied to start the war in Iraq. Ironically, most Americans also think he lied to start the war in Iraq. Why is he not being impeached?

Perhaps it is because people are not sufficiently convinced that he actually did lie to get us into the war. Here for the benefit of those with lingering doubts is the so-called smoking gun. (Note: it did not come in the form of a mushroom cloud.)


The Overseas and Defence Secretariat memo dated March 8, 2000 is the smoking gun. Here is the link. It is one of the famous Downing Street Memos. You can find them on After Downing Street.


Here are some pertinent quotes.


29. In the judgement of the JIC there is no recent evidence of Iraq complicity with international terrorism. There is therefore no justification for action against Iraq based on action in self-defence (Article 51) to combat imminent threats of terrorism as in Afghanistan.


30. Currently, offensive military action against Iraq can only be justified if Iraq is held to be in breach of the Gulf War ceasefire resolution, 687. 687 imposed obligations on Iraq with regard to the elimination of WMD and monitoring these obligations. …


31. As the ceasefire was proclaimed by the Security Council in 687, it is for the Council to decide whether a breach of obligations has occurred. There is precedent. [Previous expulsion of UN inspectors by Iraq was determined to be a flagrant violation and led to UNSCR 1205 (1998) which] underpinned Operation Desert Fox. In contrast to general legal opinion, the US asserts the right of individual Member States to determine whether Iraq has breached 687, regardless of whether the Council has reached this assessment.


32. For the P5 [the permanent members of the Security Council] and the majority of the Council to take the view that Iraq was in breach of [Security Council Resolution] 687: "they would need to be convinced that Iraq was in breach of its obligations regarding WMD, and ballistic missiles. Such proof would need to be incontrovertible and of large-scale activity. Current intelligence is insufficiently robus [sic] to meet this criterion.”

... and tell 'em Big Mitch sent ya!