BUSH: WHAT ARE THE FACTS?

Now he wonders about the accuracy of the intelligence. Of course it's the BBC, which after the mass management hara-kiri looks about as reliable as Weekly World News...

[-BCBBCCBBBCCCBBBBBCCCCBBBBBBBBCCCCCCCB]There was an amazing BBC interview on today where the BBC grilled the new head of the BBC about the BBC's statement regarding the report, and what was impressive, the BBC statement did not specifically repudiate the report, although it did acquiesce to the "need for the BBC to do things differently." The BBC reporter, to his highland credit, wasn't buying the implication that the report was wrong, the BBC wasn't actually saying that, and what it looks like is that the BBC has agreed to bend over and take it like a national broadcast service. The report by Lord whatshisface appears in some analyses to be naiive. 56% of Brits think it's a whitewash- I'm inclined to agree, particularly since there are no WMDs! extra points if by some miracle you noticed the Fibbanacci series in the bbcbcbs bit. -PWP]

[It's funny. Esp since 9/11 I've read the BBC much more regularly than, say The New York Times because it seemed to have much more of a clue on international affairs (I got the impression Times articles on Malaysia were researched by reading the BBC) and seemed uncontaminated by the American journalistic disease of thinking up the story and then looking for a quote to support it. But my British friends were dismissive, saying I might as well read Downing Street press releases directly.

According to The Independent Greg Dyke, the second resignee, "showed that he had no intention of going quietly. He said that Lord Hutton was 'quite clearly wrong' in some parts of his report, which was read with 'disbelief' at the BBC. 'We were quite shocked it was so black and white,' he said. Questioning Lord Hutton's conclusion that the Ministry of Defence had properly cared for David Kelly, he said: 'If that's showing a duty of care I'm glad I don't work there.'

"He said there were 'remarkable contradictions' between evidence given by Mr Campbell to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and the Hutton inquiry.

"BBC staff were raising cash yesterday to pay for a national newspaper advert expressing their dismay at Mr Dyke's departure. Organisers were hoping to collect at least 4,000 signatures, including those of high-profile television figures."

-MoF ]