Downing Street Memo 2: Electric Boogaloo

[1modernboy]

File under “What the http://cheapassgamer.com/forums/images/smilies/shaqfu.gif?”

Excerpt:

President George W. Bush planned to bomb pan-Arab television broadcaster al-Jazeera, British newspaper the Daily Mirror said, citing a Downing Street memo marked "Top Secret".
The five-page transcript of a conversation between Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair reveals that Blair talked Bush out of launching a military strike on the station, unnamed sources told the daily which is against the war in Iraq.
The transcript of the pair's talks during Blair's April 16, 2004 visit to Washington allegedly shows Bush wanted to attack the satellite channel's headquarters.

Full article here (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051122/pl_afp/qatarusbritainmediajazeera_051122063541).

[Cheese]

Wasn't that common knowledge? I mean, he DID bomb their Iraqi offices.

[1modernboy]

No, this concerns a proposed strike on their headquarters in Qatar.

[MrBadExample]

If it's true, that's just mind-boggling. How much worse would the war be if Blair hadn't talked him down?

[kakomu]

If it's true, that's just mind-boggling. How much worse would the war be if Blair hadn't talked him down?

Not sure. Bush would certainly get heat for attacking outside of the scope of Iraq, however, considering that Al Jazeera is a mouth piece of free publicity for many of the make-shift terrorist cells that sprang up immediately. They more or less showed just about every home video of heads being sawed off. I'm wondering if the terrorist insurgency would be quite as fervent if Al Jazeera wasn't around.

[alonzomourning23]

Doesn't this make you look at the firing on the palestine hotel in baghdad (where reporters were staying) in a whole new light?


Not sure. Bush would certainly get heat for attacking outside of the scope of Iraq, however, considering that Al Jazeera is a mouth piece of free publicity for many of the make-shift terrorist cells that sprang up immediately. They more or less showed just about every home video of heads being sawed off. I'm wondering if the terrorist insurgency would be quite as fervent if Al Jazeera wasn't around.

Al jazeera is middle eastern news really, they're not the problem. Al jazeera is virtually every nations enemy, middle eastern governments hate them because they air the opinions of the opposition and promote the free expression of opinions, and the west hates them because they air the opinions and other things by enemies of the west. Middle eastern governments have repeatedly tried to shut them down.

Personally, from their website anyway (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4D19123-9DD3-11D1-B44E-006097071264.htm), they simply have a middle eastern perspective. They do not have innacurate news (the only incorrect story I got from there was taken directly from the AP, and later removed from aljazeera, so you can't blame it on them), and do not phrase things such as "the evil american devils" like many think they do. Even their treatment of the Israeli government is done in a reasonable manner, and a much more objectionable way than their competition.

Sure there are opinion shows, but we have foxnews commentary shows. But their strong point is the free expression of ideas, and everyone hates them for it.

[kakomu]

Al jazeera is middle eastern news really, they're not the problem. Al jazeera is virtually every nations enemy, middle eastern governments hate them because they air the opinions of the opposition and promote the free expression of opinions, and the west hates them because they air the opinions and other things by enemies of the west. Middle eastern governments have repeatedly tried to shut them down.

Personally, from their website anyway (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E4D19123-9DD3-11D1-B44E-006097071264.htm), they simply have a middle eastern perspective. They do not have innacurate news (the only incorrect story I got from there was taken directly from the AP, and later removed from aljazeera, so you can't blame it on them), and do not phrase things such as "the evil american devils" like many think they do. Even their treatment of the Israeli government is done in a reasonable manner, and a much more objectionable way than their competition.

Sure there are opinion shows, but we have foxnews commentary shows. But their strong point is the free expression of ideas, and everyone hates them for it.

I just have a problem with their airing of terrorist propaganda tapes. I think it can be likened to CNN, FOX or any of the major TV news organizations airing Nazi, KKK or white supremacist propaganda videos. Airing the tapes just legitimizes them.