Sunday, July 11, 2004
Following my rather gloomy assessment of what the Butler Report was likely to mean, this might spice things up a bit. What did the Prime Minister know and when? The supposed proof that the Iraqi dictator was still trying, even in the run-up to war, to produce chemical and biological weapons became crucial to the Prime Minister's case for urgent military action rather than waiting for inspectors to finish their task... Yet the intelligence underpinning [the claim that Saddam Hussein's regime was still creating WMD in 2002] was subsequently withdrawn by MI6, which decided it could not be relied upon, according to the senior intelligence source interviewed by Panorama. Although it is not known exactly when MI6 changed its mind, the revelation will prompt calls for Blair to put the record straight publicly about what he knew, when.
Seeing as in the past Blair, Geoff Hoon and Jack Straw have all personally claimed ignorance of important facts relating to the question of whether Hussein really did have WMD any more I suspect that this will get filed in with that. "I didn't know"/"I was only following orders" is an unacceptable reply only when you're on the loosing side it seems.
Seeing as in the past Blair, Geoff Hoon and Jack Straw have all personally claimed ignorance of important facts relating to the question of whether Hussein really did have WMD any more I suspect that this will get filed in with that. "I didn't know"/"I was only following orders" is an unacceptable reply only when you're on the loosing side it seems.
