The Downing Street Memo

I’m compelled to blog about The Downing Street Memo.

First things first – I do not agree that it is proof that anyone was misled about the dangers of the Iraqi regime, nor in fact do I agree with the assessment that planning military options in advance means that President Bush would refuse and ignore any success achieved through diplomacy. It is a document whose proposed implications ignore a greater context of foreign policy, global politics, legitimate national security concerns that have existed for over ten years, and the length of time needed for effective military planning. There’s also the pure, simple, demonstrated fact that Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons in the past and showed no signs of being a man with whom one can reason. We can’t forget the “Fortress Baghdad” incident of the 1990s, as well as the gassing of the Kurds. Why isn’t the failure of diplomacy being blamed on Saddam Hussein?

That being said, http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/ is a great way to get those that agree with the implications of the memo to become involved in a campaign to demand an explanation of it. It offers counter-arguments to anyone wishing to refute its significance. It enables supporters to become involved and write their congressional representatives. Many Democratic congressmen have endorsed the cause to demand that the White House respond to the implications; the list of those representatives is provided by the site for all who are interested. It even summarizes press coverage and enables supporters to demand more press coverage!

It’s clear that http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/ is a good example of how effective the Internet can manage the operational logistics of a campaign; however, I believe that the memo was analyzed out of context, and that’s a discredit to its proposed implications.