Tuesday, May 31, 2005

the downing st memo and why it matters

As was posted here a few days ago, as well as many other blogs in the last several days, some disturbing information has been released that "casts serious doubt on many of the contentions of the Bush Administration in the lead up to the Iraq war," as stated by Rep. John Conyers. The document containing this information, as many people in the blogosphere no doubt already know, is called the Downing Street Memo or the Downing Street Minutes.

For those who may not be familiar yet with this story, here is the scoop (pulled together via the Big Brass Alliance) about this memo and some information about After Downing Street which was created in order to provide a group coordinated effort on behalf of the American people, to get some answers :

1. After Downing Street is a Coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups, which launched on May 26, 2005, a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to begin a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war. The campaign focuses on evidence that recently emerged in a British memo containing minutes of a secret July 2002 meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top national security officials.

2. The name is a reference to the Downing Street Memo, a British memo recently made public in the London Times, which contained the minutes of a secret July 2002 meeting between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top national security officials.

3. After Downing Street reports: In response to the release of the memo, “John Bonifaz, a Boston attorney specializing in constitutional litigation, sent a memo to Congressman John Conyers of Michigan, the Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, urging him to introduce a Resolution of Inquiry directing the House Judiciary Committee to launch a formal investigation into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House to impeach President Bush. Bonifaz's memo, made available today at After Downing Street.org, begins: ‘The recent release of the Downing Street Memo provides new and compelling evidence that the President of the United States has been actively engaged in a conspiracy to deceive and mislead the United States Congress and the American people about the basis for going to war against Iraq. If true, such conduct constitutes a High Crime under Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution.’"

4. Congressman Conyers is now seeking 100,000 signatures to sign a letter on the Downing Street Inquiry. Information available at Raw Story and dKos.

We, the People, have a right to know whether the assertions made in the Downing Memo about the President are true. Please spread the word and join us in signing the petition requesting that this Administration respond to the information in this memo by clicking here.
Posted by etherealfire :: 9:23 AM :: 3 Comments:

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