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Two British government documents raise questions, and shed some light on planning for the Iraq war and its aftermath. We'll be talking about the documents in the weeks to come, so if you want to come to the discussion armed (with facts and opinions) check out the articles below (the list will be updated periodically).

The July 23 memo (the "Downing Street memo")
The July 21 memo

Atrios: "the Brits--who had access to the prewar intelligence--saw that the WMD case (based on that intelligence) was, as Jack Straw observed, weak"

Bill Crawford: We will never know if the memos were authentic because the originals were destroyed.

Tim Cavanaugh: "Most Americans already know what's in the Downing Street Memo. They knew it before the memo was even published. And they don't care."

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly "Democrats Investigate Downing Street Memo"

Fred Kaplan: "The Downing Street Memo will be a key footnote in the history books"

Michael Kinsley: "I don't buy the fuss"

Mark Danner: "the President's decision to go to war had long since been made"

Tod Lindberg: "there is nothing in the document but more proof for partisans already persuaded"

John Hinderaker: "It adds nothing to our knowledge of the important issues surrounding the Iraq war"

Ray McGovern: "Blair did a good job of obfuscating"

Allthingsconservative: "We will never know if the memos were authentic because the originals were destroyed"

Media Matters: "mainstream media cover-up"

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