released by the BBC last night, full text of the minutes, memos and transcripts linked below.

/The Downing Street minutes are only one of a set of documents leaked to the BBC, (British Broadcasting Corporation) in late March.  A careful reading of the following will reveal seven different memorandum, and includes references with direct quotations taken from the Downing Street war council minutes.  This is further documentary evidence that the Iraq war was planned well in advance of 2002, that intelligence was fixed, that the UK knowingly entered into an illegal war with Iraq, and that Washington pressured, or forced, Goldsmith to reverse his opinion that the Iraq war is illegal.

Time to get over it.  THe intelligence was faulty, but that is the same intelligence that Bill Clinton, Jaques Chirac, Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair had. 2nd point with regard to legality.
It is also a fact that Saddam Hussein used the chemical weapons on the Iranians and on his own people.
In the 1991 War, he had chemical weapons deployed with his artillery units and release authority was granted down to division command level.  Given the past performance and the Iraqis game playing with the inspections over the last 12 years, only a fool would not have taken the intelligence reports seriously.

UN Resolution 687 establishes the terms of the cease fire that ended the 1991 Gulf War. http://www.fas.org/news/un/iraq/sres/sres0687.htmThat the Iraqis were in violation is not in question.  THat they continued to have both chemcial weapons and the precursor elements to new nerve agents is not in question.  It was validated before Saddam Hussein kicked out the UN inspectors during the Clinton Administration.  It was documented.  That they have found old chemical weapons that existed from the late 80s since Operation Iraqi Freedom is not in question.  

That the Iraqis had developed a new missile with a range in excess of the 150km limit is also not debateable.  It is also documented as a further violation of the cease fire agreement.

It is also a fact that the United Nations made no less than 14 subsequent resolutions against Iraq after the 1991 war because of violations of the cease fire conditions.  All of them promised  consequences without delivering any.
Furthermore, that the French, Russians, and some British politicians were on the take along with several UN leaders in the Oil for Food Scandal is not in question.  

The reality is that Saddam miscalculated the resolve of the United States because he felt that he had the UN in his pocket. Given that the French declared that they would veto the use of force under any circumstances.

Your post is the only source I've read any of this:

"That the Iraqis were in violation is not in question.  THat they continued to have both chemcial weapons and the precursor elements to new nerve agents is not in question.  It was validated before Saddam Hussein kicked out the UN inspectors during the Clinton Administration.  It was documented.  That they have found old chemical weapons that existed from the late 80s since Operation Iraqi Freedom is not in question."  

And sorry to say, from all other sources, including those supporting the war such as "The Economist," have said the opposite of all of it.

All you have to support any of it is a link to the UN Resolution in 1991 authorizing the first Gulf War.  

So, chipcutter, I've got to conclude that you're very unpersuasvively full of shit.

Are you talking "cow chips"?

Hey champ, did the US miscalculate? Today the US military came straight out and said this mission might fail. I hope not. "Get over it." Get over what? IRAQ reality is grim. Are you a cheerleader or have you spent time in that trench called Iraq? UN resolutions my ass. My guess is your kicking back in your beanbag chair, eating cheese puffs, and playing commando with your hamster.

Go nuts Patton!

Are you living in a cave?

Unfortunately, in my view, the majority of the voters here did not see fit to punish Bush for the lies which he and his people told to get support for the war.  Even if you believe that he acted in good faith with faulty intelligence, a preemptive war should take much more than the evidence they thought they had.  "Imminent threat" should not mean a few years down the road.

But we are beating dead horse with these arguments politically.  "What next?" should be the question.  Even Kerry recognized we should not simply withdraw.

Tremendously. This is not something on the scale of lying about a blow job, this is involving people's lives, the safety of the nation, the world. This administration needs to be held accountable, held to the same standards as Clinton. I want to see them all up on the stand actually telling the truth, and nothing but the truth.

If they lied about this what else are they lying about?

No one died when Clinton lied.

Lauren, I agree with you that he's a liar and his lies and those of his followers convinced enough of the public to send good U.S. and other kids to kill and be killed, maim and get maimed.  It's despicable.

My point is that the lies were exposed before the election and not enough people cared.  Accountability in politics is about elections.  It's too late to hold Bush accountable for pre-war lies, except in history books.  

What else are they lying about IS a good question and energy should be spent on that rather than on the pre-war crap.