Friday, June 17, 2005

New, Improved Napalm

See, it wasn't napalm used by US forces during the initial invasion of Iraq (and probably in Fallujah during Operation Freedom via Obliteration last fall). It was a new, improved, napalm-like substitute:

The MK77 bombs, an evolution of the napalm used in Vietnam and Korea, carry kerosene-based jet fuel and polystyrene so that, like napalm, the gel sticks to structures and to its victims. The bombs lack stabilising fins, making them far from precise.

Call it Jellied Freedom Kerosene. And don't forget to "misinform" your ally:

American officials lied to British ministers over the use of "internationally reviled" napalm-type firebombs in Iraq.

Yesterday's disclosure led to calls by MPs for a full statement to the Commons and opened ministers to allegations that they held back the facts until after the general election.

Despite persistent rumours of injuries among Iraqis consistent with the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm, Adam Ingram, the Defence minister, assured Labour MPs in January that US forces had not used a new generation of incendiary weapons, codenamed MK77, in Iraq.

But Mr Ingram admitted to the Labour MP Harry Cohen in a private letter obtained by The Independent that he had inadvertently misled Parliament because he had been misinformed by the US. "The US confirmed to my officials that they had not used MK77s in Iraq at any time and this was the basis of my response to you," he told Mr Cohen. "I regret to say that I have since discovered that this is not the case and must now correct the position."...

Mr Ingram did not explain why the US officials had misled him, but the US and British governments were accused of a cover-up. The Iraq Analysis Group, which campaigned against the war, said the US authorities only admitted the use of the weapons after the evidence from reporters had become irrefutable.


Coverup? Good heavens! Is it possible that OTHER coverups occurred, like maybe "fixing intelligence" to fit into the policy?

Decide for yourself--informally, of course:

A group of US congressmen has held an informal hearing into a memo that suggests President George Bush decided on the Iraq war months in advance.
More than 100 Democrats took part in the public forum, calling on the White House to explain the leaked UK memo.


And I'm sure the eleven major votes scheduled by the GOPher leadership concurrent with the hearings was merely a coincidence...

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