Back in April 2004, Tony Blair and George Bush had a chat about the war in Iraq. In the course of it, Bush reportedly suggested bombing the Arab broadcasting station Al Jazeera, headquartered in Doha, Qatar. The White House has adamantly denied that such a proposal was ever made, calling the accusation “outlandish and inconceivable.”
But a British diplomatic communication about their conversation, marked “Secret-Personal,” evidently says otherwise—the subject may indeed have been broached, but possibly only in jest. Addressed to the British Foreign Secretary, the document began: “This letter is extremely sensitive. It must not be copied further and must be seen only by those with a need to know.”
We know about this document because a British cryptographer by the name of David Keogh, responsible for handling British diplomatic cable traffic, passed it on to an anti-war member of parliament who then disclosed its contents to the press. His objective, Keogh has frankly explained, was to intervene in America’s elections, helping John Kerry’s presidential bid by making George W. Bush appear to be a “madman.”
Weekend Reading
With a nod to Mother’s Day, we offer a small sampling of what COMMENTARY has had to say over the years about the role of the family and of mothers in particular—a subject on which the magazine has marshaled some of America’s best thinkers.
The Origins of Human Bonds
Selma Fraiberg – December 1967
The Rediscovery of the Family
Nathan Glazer – March 1978
ABC and Me
Jessica Gress-Wright – January, 1990
Why Mothers Should Stay Home
David Gelernter – February 1996
Bringing Up Parents
Kay Hymowitz – June 2003