ALLIES TO THE END, NO TRUER FRIENDS

[Guest guest]

THE "special relationship" between Britain and America has tended to be a much overworked expression. Both countries have invoked it when it was useful but ignored it when they wanted.

 

Tony Blair joins Rudy Giuliani and Laura Bush in a standing ovation during President Bush's address But in New York and Washington this week it became tangible with a genuine transatlantic bond renewed between people and politicians.

 

Tony Blair standing on a rain-soaked street in Manhattan after a memorial service for the British victims of last week's terror recalled the spirit of the Blitz when, he said, America stood by Britain.

 

President Bush told a joint session of Congress that the United States truly had no better friend in the world than Britain. Members of Congress twice rose to their feet to applaud Mr Blair, watching the speech in the gallery next to Laura Bush, the First Lady.

 

There was no attempt on either side to hide emotions or the feeling of solidarity between the two countries. On arriving in America, Mr Blair was made quickly aware of the revived feeling of patriotism in the United States.

 

As his motorcade swept into New York from JFK airport, virtually every other car it passed was displaying the Stars and Stripes.

 

Mr Blair's 7,000-mile whistle-stop shuttle across the Atlantic was tiring. He flew back overnight to Brussels for yesterday's emergency meeting of EU ministers.

 

But Mr Bush appeared genuinely appreciative that the British Prime Minister had made the trip to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him in person rather than metaphorically.

 

As the president told the joint session of Congress, it was time for governments around the world to choose "either you are with us or you are with the terrorists".

 

Britain's support for America was never in doubt. But Mr Blair brought more to Washington than expressions of sympathy and solidarity.

 

He has emerged as a key figure in building an international coalition to support America's attempts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the Sept 11 atrocities in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania and then to launch an all-out effort to smash the networks of global terrorism.

 

Over dinner in the White House on Thursday evening, washed down by an appropriately named Iron Horse pinot noir wine, Mr Bush outlined his plans for military strikes against Afghanistan if Osama bin Landen, the prime suspect for the terror attacks, is not given up by the Taliban regime.

 

Downing Street officials denied reports that Mr Blair tried to act as a restraining influence on a "hawkish" Mr Bush and had warned the president against launching massive military retaliation against Afghanistan and other states harbouring terrorists.

 

But it was clear that Mr Blair believes the emphasis that he has placed on America building as wide a coalition as possible and not threatening that support by "lashing out" has been taken on board by the president.

 

According to a senior member of Mr Blair's party, the Prime Minister came away from the White House impressed by the "clarity" of the president's thinking and by the decision-making process at the top of the administration.

 

He was also struck by Mr Bush's understanding that he needed to keep world opinion on side. One of Mr Blair's aides said: "It was quite clear at the dinner that they are taking their time.

 

"They have realised that they are going to have to prepare their own people and the rest of the world for a wholly different sort of conflict which is not going to start quickly or end quickly."

 

But equally, Mr Bush left the Prime Minister in no doubt that, while he wanted the support of other nations, America was determined to respond to last week's attacks and, while it would consult its allies, America would take the final decisions.

 

The strategy at the present is to intensify the pressure on Afghanistan by increasing the Taliban's diplomatic isolation and through a show of military firepower in the Gulf and Indian Ocean.

 

But, if the fundamentalists in Kabul refuse to hand over bin Laden, the Americans will seek to capture or destroy him in Afghanistan. British special forces such as the SAS could be involved in any operations to destroy terror bases in Afghanistan.

 

British military support will be limited. But it will be highly significant and British officials acknowledged that it could be "difficult and dangerous". It will also be a political gamble for Mr Blair.

 

It will put Britain in the front-line of the mass terrorism threat alongside America, which could prove the toughest test yet of the special relationship between the two countries.

I never really expected George and Tony to get on so well. I am pleased that they do. I do think we need to commit everything we have to this fight because it is so serious to the future of both America and Britain. I hope that the "limited" in this support is just referring to the sheer numbers - in that, we are lacking in general. However we need to commit thoroughly and fully, using all of our power to destroy this evil enemy. Should Blair falter, I am sure Tory politicians, as well as the Telegraph (and Free Britannia), will press down on him to do the right thing and support our ally to the end.

 

[Tarun]

"Leila" <neroli@usol.com>

therealihatebushfanclub@, ParanoidTimes@

Fw: House Amendment Passes Calling for Independent Commission on 9-11

Sat, 27 Jul 2002 15:07:04 -0700

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

House Amendment Passes Calling for Independent Commission on 9-11

Amendments Introduced by Tim Roemer (D), and Christopher Smith ® Now Call for Inclusion of Victim Families

Senate Action Pending - The Two Ends Don't Meet

By Michael C. Ruppert [© Copyright, 2002, From The Wilderness Publications,

http://www.copvcia.com/. .

July 25, 2002, 8 PM, PDT - (FTW)

In a session lasting until 2 A.M., the House of Representatives today passed an amendment to the 2002 Intelligence Authorization creating establishment of a "blue ribbon" Bill (HR 2883) that would require the independent commission to

investigate the attacks of last September 11th. The amendment, introduced by

Indiana Democrat Tim Roemer, passed by a vote of 219 to 188. 25 of those voting in favor were Republicans.

But the passage of this amendment is a far cry from seeing the commission

signed into existence. A separate Senate bill (S 1867) sponsored by

Arizona Senator John McCain ® and Joe Lieberman (D) has been voted out of the

Senate Governmental Affairs Committee as a separate piece of legislation but

has not been voted on by the full Senate.

There are differences between the two measures but the House version has the

best chance of being acted on by Congress in the near future. Before an

intelligence-funding bill goes to President Bush for signature, the Senate and House versions must be reconciled in the Conference Committee and there the Senate will either accept or reject the Roemer/Smith amendments. Of the two versions, the House amendment offers some protection against political cover-up because of an amendment offered by Rep.

Christopher Smith (R-NJ) that would require inclusion of victim family members on the

commission.

Historically, independent commissions looking into events from the JFKAssassination, to the Iran-Contra scandal, to the crash of TWA 800have failed to publicly acknowledge facts that were later disclosed and or admitted to in government documents. With the legitimacy of the Bush Administration, and perhaps the entire government, at stake - expectations of miraculous revelations from such a commission are likely overoptimistic.

In her book "Kiss The Boys Goodbye" (Penguin, 1990), former 60 MINUTES producer Monika Jensen-Stevenson documented the heartbreaking infiltration of the Vietnam POW movement by government and intelligence operatives to cover-up evidence that large numbers of U.S. POWs and MIAs had been abandoned in Southeast Asia. What began as a unified and committed movement ultimately disintegrated into splintered and disorganized factions that often fought each other harder than they fought the government.

Though we know they were left behind, no POWs were ever re patriated.

The stakes with 9/11 are much higher and the administration knows this.

Sources tell FTW that the most effective way to ensure passage of the House version of the intelligence bill is for activists to contact members of the United States and encourage them to adopt the Roemer and Smith amendments.

Additional contacts can be made directly to House-Senate conference committee members from the U.S. Senate. A Senate vote on the

intelligence appropriations act is unlikely before Summer recess which starts next Monday. The Congress will reconvene on Tuesday, September 3rd and action on the bill is expected shortly thereafter.

 

If the Senate adopts the two amendments and sends the bill to the White House, there is still the possibility that President Bush will veto it. Both he and Vice President Cheney are on record as having asked Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D) to curtail and limit any investigations of the attacks.

U.S. Senate Conferees:

> Kennedy (D-MA)

> 617/565-3170 Boston

> Dodd (D-CT)

> 860/258-6940 Wethersfield

> Harkin (D-IA)

> 515/284-4574 Des Moines

> Mikulski (D-MD)

> 410/962-4510 Baltimore

> Jeffords (I-VT)

> 802/223-5273 Montpelier

> Bingaman (D-NM)

> 505/988-6647 Santa Fe;

> 505/346-6601 Albuquerque

> Wellstone (D-MN)

> 651/645-0323 St. Paul

> Murray (D-WA)

> 206/553-5545 Seattle;

> 509/624-9515 Spokane

> Reed (D-RI)

> 401/943-3100 Cranston

> Edwards (D-NC)

> 919/856-4245 Raleigh

> 518/431-0120 Albany

> Lieberman (D-CT)

> 860/549-8463 Hartford

> Bayh (D-IN)

> 317/554-0750 Indianapolis

> Gregg (R-NH)

> 603/225-7115 Concord

> Frist (R-TN)

> 615/352-9411 Nashville;

> 901/683-191 Memphis

> Enzi (R-WY)

> 307/772-2477 Cheyenne;

> 307/739-9507 Jackson

> Hutchinson (R-AR)

> 501/324-6336 Little Rock

> Warner (R-VA)

> 804/771-2579 Richmond

> Bond (R-MO)

> 314/725-4484 St. Louis

> Roberts (R-KS)

> 785/295-2745 Topeka

> Collins (R-ME)

> 207/622-8414 Augusta

> Sessions (R-AL)

> 205/731-1500 Birmingham;

> 334/265-9507 Montgomery

> DeWine (R-OH)

> 614/469-5186 Columbus

> Allard (R-CO)

> 719/643-6071 Colorado Springs

> Ensign (R-WY)

> 775/686-5770 Reno

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