Just when Condi Rice (repeatedly) had assured ALL of the Europeans states that in no way, the US does not torture and does not use the so-called rendition planes meme, Britain's Foreign Minister David Miliband had to make a public apology here an hour ago to the British public at large.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband apologised to MPs today after admitting that US "special rendition" flights had twice landed on British soil in contravention of earlier Government assurances
Mr Miliband said that in each of the two cases, the aircraft involved had been carrying a single detainee - neither of them British - who did not leave the plane while it was on the ground at Diego Garcia.
Well, we are somewhat relieved that it wasn't a British soul that was going to be tortured, must be another human being then!
He said it would be presented to the Americans with a view to seeking their "specific assurance" that none of the flights had been used for rendition purposes.
This one is bordering on the farcical. Yes, David, and pigs might fly below the radar!
Of course, Condi had told the British parliament two years ago that:
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has admitted that terror suspects are flown abroad for interrogation, but denied they were tortured.
She said suspects were moved by plane under a process known as rendition, and that this was "a lawful weapon"
A lawful weapon indeed.
Some of us have been marching at the Shannon airport to protest the fact that our own government has also been receiving "solid assurances from the US government that "absolutely NO CIA planes were used for rendition flights stopping at Shannon". I will write several emails to that effect to the relevant authorities to gage their "comfort levels" with the continuing and blatant lying from US diplomats. Bertie Ahern, our beleaguered Head of State (he is facing serious allegations of "misappropriations of funds" in his past as Finance Minister) has gone on record numerous times to earnestly convey his opinion that the US would not lie to him! Yeah right, and I'm the tooth fairy.
By the way, the following link has been scrubbed. I wonder why:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Upon Her Departure for Europe, Andrews Air Force Base, December 5, 2005: "Rice Says United States Does Not Torture Terrorists. Secretary says 'rendition' vital, legal tool to combat terrorism, save lives."
UPDATE: broken link in intro here