Rep. John Conyers to the rescue, again!

Remember the Downing Street Memo? Probably not if you've been watching Fox News. It's a memo from the Brits that basically state the US told them we were shaping the facts around our policy for Iraq so that it looked like we had the evidence we needed to attack Iraq. In other words, it says we were getting out shit together far in advance of any of this "evidence" and creating what we needed to justify attacking them. There was no threat, we made up what we needed to create the perception of a threat.

 

Well, most people in D.C. are shrugging this off because it might lead to conclusions about the current administration. And as Hellen Keller once said, people don't like conclusions because "conclusions can sometimes be unplesant." The fact is, if this stuff turns out to be true there is going to be hell to pay, which means work to be done. And we know when it comes to things that would require actual work (i.e. fixing poverty, addressing actual concerns of citizens, nuculear proliferation) the people on D.C. run fast and far away. They'd much rather concentration on important things like steriods in major sports, Terry Schiavo, and flag burning. You know, shit that keeps food from being on peoples tables.

 

Well, Conyers isn't taking this anymore and he wants people to talk about this thing. Problem is, the Reds won't give him any space on the hill to do it. Well, he managed to fandangle some space on the hill and he's made as hell. This thing will be covered in CSPAN-3, which means no one but me and three other people willbe watching it, but it's there.

 

Here's the article and I urge you to check this out.

 

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/After_fracas_Conyers_heads_back_to_Capitol_with_Downing_S_0615.html

 

After fracas, Conyers heads back to Capitol with Downing Street

John Byrne

UPDATE: C-SPAN 3 TO CARRY HEARINGS

Rep John Conyers (D-MI, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee who was told by House Republicans that he would be refused rooms for Democratic hearings, has found a space in the Capitol for his fourm Thursday on the Downing Street documents, RAW STORY has learned.

The hearing will be broadcast live on C-SPAN 3 Thursday.

Conyers and other Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee were recently told the Republican majority staff had instituted a new policy to deny any request from a Democrat to use a committee hearing room.

GOP Judiciary spokesman Jeff Lungren told The Hill Tuesday Republicans were upset Congressmembers were addressing Conyers as “Mr. Chairman.”

“They were unwilling or unable to make those changes,” Lungren added. “At this point, if they want to hold these forums, they’ll have to find some other place to do it.”

Conyers' release follows. The event will be held at HC-9 The Capitol at 2:30 PM ET Thursday; the room is one that can be reserved by the Democratic leadership.

CONYERS TO HOLD DEMOCRATIC HEARING ON DOWNING STREET MEMO AND LEAD UP TO IRAQ WAR

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday June 16, 2005, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of House Judiciary Committee, and other Democratic Members will hold a Democratic hearing to hear testimony concerning the Downing Street Minutes and the efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence.

On May 1, 2005 a Sunday London Times article disclosed the details of a classified memo, also known as the Downing Street Minutes, recounting the minutes of a July 2002 meeting of Prime Minister Tony Blair that describes an American President already committed to going to war in the summer of 2002, despite contrary assertions to the public and the Congress. The minutes also describe apparent efforts by the Administration to manipulate intelligence data to justify the war. The June 16th hearing will attempt to answer the serious constitutional questions raised by these revelations and will further investigate the Administration's actions in the lead up to war with new documents that further corroborate the Downing Street memo.

Directly following the hearing, Rep. Conyers, Members of Congress, and concerned citizens plan to hand deliver to the White House the petition and signatures of over a half million Americans that have joined Rep. Conyers in demanding that President Bush answer questions about his secret plan for the Iraq war.

WHAT: Democratic hearing on Downing Street Minutes and Pre-war intelligence

WHEN: Thursday, June 16, 2005, 2:30pm

WHERE: HC-9 The Capitol

(Overflow Room - 430 S. Capitol Street, The Wasserman Room)

WITNESSES: Joe Wilson, Former Ambassador and WMD Expert, Ray McGovern, 27-year CIA analyst who prepared regular Presidential briefings during the Reagan administration, Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen American soldier, John Bonifaz, constitutional lawyer