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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

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almarst2002 - 05:47pm Jun 5, 2003 EST (# 12320 of 12342)

Tony Blair's denial that he exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons is called into question today by fresh accusations that Downing Street distorted a second Iraq dossier.

Ibrahim al-Marashi, the US-based academic whose research was used without acknowledgment in a UK intelligence document in February, says Downing Street "plagiarised and manipulated" academic material by inflating figures and exaggerating Iraq's weapons capability.

Writing in The Telegraph today, Mr al-Marashi says Downing Street "borrowed" and significantly altered a phrase in which he said Iraqi intelligence was "aiding opposition groups in hostile regimes".

The dossier changed the wording to "supporting terrorist groups in hostile regimes".

"By changing these few words, the February 2003 dossier attempts to convince the reader that the Iraqis had the infrastructure to support groups such as al-Qa'eda," he says.

His accusations will fuel Opposition demands for an independent judicial inquiry into claims that Downing Street "doctored" intelligence information in a dossier published last September to make the case for invading Iraq.

In his first Commons appearance since the dispute began, Mr Blair vehemently denied that any minister or Downing Street official leant on intelligence chiefs to strengthen their assessment of the threat posed by Iraq.

The claim that Iraq could deploy some weapons of mass destruction at 45 minutes' notice "was a judgment made by the Joint Intelligence Committee and by them alone".

Mr Blair denied that the information had been based on an uncorroborated report from an Iraqi defector. It had come from an "established and reliable source".

Iain Duncan Smith said that only a full judicial inquiry could restore public confidence in the way intelligence material was handled.

"The truth is that nobody believes now a word that the Prime Minister says," the Tory leader said. - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/06/05/nwmd05.xml/

ROBERT,

IT SEEMS YOUR HERO IS IN A DEEP TROUBLE.

almarst2002 - 05:57pm Jun 5, 2003 EST (# 12321 of 12342)

Where's the proof that I misled the public, Blair asks his critics - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$QSJXUPELBW2J1QFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2003/06/03/wmd103.xml

Where's the proof that Iraq has WMD, Saddam asks his critics.

I COUNT ON AN EQUAL TREATMENT OF ALL LIERS AND CRIMINALS. AT LEAST BY GOD.

almarst2002 - 06:00pm Jun 5, 2003 EST (# 12322 of 12342)

We want to be feared not loved, say US Marines - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/06/05/wirq05.xml

A FREARED LIBERATOR, JOKES ASIDE.

fredmoore - 06:05pm Jun 5, 2003 EST (# 12323 of 12342)

Almarst ..

Yay .. Tony Blair is deep in dirt. Now we can Bring back Saddam, Bring back Josef Stalin and Adolph Hitler ... They really knew how to run a democracy. Why argue with your opponents across a parliamentary floor when you can bury them out back of your palaces.

Things are staring to look right with the world ... at LAST!

PS Don't ink in your diary , you maybe asked to be Saddam's new Minister for Information. The other one is apparently too busy with prior engagements as a guest speaker at shopping malls and T-shirt outlets.

almarst2002 - 06:09pm Jun 5, 2003 EST (# 12324 of 12342)

UK Commandoes Sneak Home 9-Foot Saddam - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=13029754&method=full&siteid=50143&headline=COMMANDOS%20SNEAK%20HOME%209FT%20SADDAM

GIVE ME SADDAM! DEAD OR ALIVE!

almarst2002 - 06:11pm Jun 5, 2003 EST (# 12325 of 12342)

I "Now we can Bring back Saddam"

What for? As long as we have plenty of much more powerful real WMD-armed liers?

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