THE US/IRAQ: Former vice president Mr Al Gore yesterday accused President George Bush of "utter contempt for the rule of law" and called for the immediate resignation of Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld, CIA director Mr George Tenet, and national security adviser Dr Condoleezza Rice. Conor O'Clery in New York
In a passionate address at New York University, Mr Gore accused the Bush administration officials of responsibility "for creating the catastrophe we are facing in Iraq".
In a fierce denunciation of Mr Bush himself, the losing Democratic candidate in the 2000 election said he had promised Americans a foreign policy with humility," but "instead, he has brought us humiliation in the eyes of the world.
"He promised to restore honour and integrity to the White House. Instead, he has brought deep dishonour to our country and built a durable reputation as the most dishonest president since Richard Nixon.
"Honour? He decided not to honour the Geneva Convention. Just as he would not honour the United Nations, international treaties, the opinions of our allies, the role of Congress and the courts, or what Jefferson described as a decent respect for the opinion of mankind.
"He did not honour the advice, experience and judgment of our military leaders in designing his invasion of Iraq. And now he will not honour our fallen dead by attending any funerals or even by permitting photos of their flag-draped coffins." Mr Gore's fiery speech marks the harshest condemnation of the president by any leading Democratic since the crisis in Iraq blew up last week.
Democratic candidate Senator John Kerry has been restrained in his comments on Mr Bush, who is seeking UN assistance to transfer sovereignty to Iraq on June 30th.
"Our nation is at risk every single day Rumsfeld remains as secretary of defence," said Mr Gore who also demanded the resignation of his deputies Mr Paul Wolfowitz, Mr Douglas Feith and intelligence chief Mr Stephen Cambone.
Dr Rice "ought to resign immediately. She has badly mishandled the coordination of national security policy. This is a disaster for our country." Referring to Abu Ghraib and other military prisons as an "American Gulag of dark rooms with naked prisoners to be 'stressed' and even tortured", Mr Gore said that the abuse of trust placed in the administration after 9/11 led directly to the abuses of detainees."How dare they drag the good name of the United States of America through the mud of Saddam Hussein's torture prison!" he said.
Meanwhile, the security council yesterday went into closed session to consider a US-British draft resolution on Iraq which seeks to endorse the interim Iraqi government.
The New York Times yesterday admitted its coverage in the run-up to the Iraq war was "not as rigorous as it should have been" and failed to adequately question the credibility of Iraqi defectors or challenge their tales of terror camps and the presence of weapons of mass destruction.
In a 1,200-word article signed From the Editors, one of America's most prestigious newspapers wrote: "Looking back, we wish we had been more aggressive in re-examining the claims as new evidence emerged - or failed to emerge." - (Guardian Service)