Memo-gate

As I write, I am watching C-Span on my computer as it broadcasts the hearing chaired by Congressman Conyers on the Downing Street Memo. What I want to offer you today is the written testimony of Greg Palast who was unable to testify in person. Palast presents a time line of the lead up to war explaining what we know as a result of the various documents that have come to light. His testimony is entitled, "The Other ' Memos' from Downing Street and Pennsylvania Avenue" and it's published by Common Dreams. Here are some passages:

On May 5, "blog" site Buzzflash.com carried my story, IMPEACHMENT TIME: "FACTS WERE FIXED," bringing the London Times report of the Downing Street memo to US media which seemed to be suffering at the time from an attack of NADD - "news attention deficit disorder."

The memo, which contains the ill-making admission that "the intelligence and facts were being fixed" to match the Iraq-crazed fantasies of our President, is sufficient basis for a hearing toward impeachment of the Chief Executive. But to that we must add the other evidence and secret memos and documents still hidden from the American public.

Other foreign-based journalists could doubtless add more, including the disclosure that the key inspector of Iraq's biological weapons, the late Dr. David Kelly, found the Bush-Blair analysis of his intelligence was indeed "fixed," as the Downing Street memo puts it, around the war-hawk policy.

After that follows the time line. I urge you to click through and read the whole text of the testimony. It's not long.