Tony Blair and Iraq: The damning evidence

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Independent



Hitherto unseen evidence given to the Chilcot Inquiry by British intelligence has revealed that former prime minister Tony Blair was told that Iraq had, at most, only a trivial amount of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and that Libya was in this respect a far greater threat.

Intelligence officers have disclosed that just the day before Mr Blair went to visit president George Bush in April 2002, he appeared to accept this but returned a "changed man" and subsequently ordered the production of dossiers to "find the intelligence" that he wanted to use to justify going to war.

This and other secret evidence (given in camera) to the inquiry will, The Independent on Sunday understands, be used as the basis for severe criticism of the former prime minister when the Chilcot report is published.

Mr Blair is said to have "realised" and "understood" that Libya was the real threat and that he knew "it would not be sensible to lead the argument on Saddam and the WMD issue" according to evidence of a conversation on 4 April 2002, the day before he flew to the US to spend a weekend with Mr Bush.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tony-blair-and-iraq-the-damning-evidence-8563133.html

[Bosonic]

1. Does "Severe Criticism" come with a custodial sentence?

Or at least some form of punitive fine?

[LeftishBrit]

2. Disgusting person!

And no, I don't expect him to be brought to justice in any way.

[deminks]

3. If the Poodle gets "severe criticism", what does the Poodle Whisperer get?

[skydive forever]

4. Wouldn't it be something

if he was eventually held accountable and our very own war criminals never were?

[chuckstevens]

5. To The Hague

If Blair were sent to the Hague for a war crimes trial, would that not finally expose the truth about Bush and Cheney to the world?

[dipsydoodle]

6. UK does at least recognise the ICC

unlike the US.

[krkaufman]

12. wrong audience

If Blair were sent to the Hague for a war crimes trial, would that not finally expose the truth about Bush and Cheney to the world?

I'm pretty sure "the world" is already well aware of the criminality of the Bush/Cheney regime, minus the subset known as the USofA -- and I expect our media would continue to protect us from such unpleasantness, were such a trial to happen.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

7. If he needs immunity, all he has to do is come to the U.S.

[Iliyah]

8. Typical, like his counter part - W.

Denial, denial, denial.

[blm]

9. Sadly, Bill Clinton urged Blair to be George Bush's 'best friend' on Iraq and

other matters involving military and foreign policy. The 'evidence' on Iraq didn't change from when Clinton left in 2001 to April2002. Clinton knew better and supported Bush every step of the way, including pushing Blair and DC Dems.

[Solly Mack]

10. Hmm

[krkaufman]

11. Did Python write this line?

... will be used as the basis for severe criticism of the former prime minister

This statement caused me to laugh out loud, it is so utterly ridiculous -- though, for my sanity, I'm going to hold out hope that "criticism" has an alternate, more favorable meaning in the UK, like "torch," "lift," etc.

Of course, the hawks here and there will all rationalize that the removal of Saddam and his entire regime was instrumental in getting Khaddafi to negotiate away some of his weapons programs and move towards normalized relations.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

13. The only thing the removal of Saddam did was make his Stalin-esque mustache less popular.

[underpants]

18. '"star-struck" by Mr Bush' got me

I can't imagine that he is in any way impressive in person and certainly not what we saw of him.

[LiberalLovinLug]

14. The thing Blair "realized" and "understood" after meeting with Bush

was that he was to get a cushy position in The Carlyle Group weapons manufacturers after he eventually stepped down if he played along.

[on point]

15. To The Hague, plus bankrupt Bush and Blair families totally to help pay for war

[cbrer]

16. Bush, Cheney and cronies ARE convicted war criminals.

In Malaysia.

"Former President Bush, Former Vice-President Dick Cheney, Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the legal advisers Alberto Gonzales, David Addington, William Haynes, Jay Bybee and John Yoo that crafted the legal ‘justification’ for torture that basically said, ‘we can if we want to even if it’s illegal’ were the defendants. None were present, of course, but international war crime trials do not require the presence of the accused. The trial was run according to the standards set by the Nuremberg Trials to convict war criminals after World War II."

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/05/13/george-w-bush-dick-cheney-convicted-of-war-crimes/

[Left Coast2020]

17. I've always dreamed of "Severe Criticism" for committing a felony

Especially when it comes to putting a little extra cash in my pocket.

"Your Honor, I plead guilty and will accept Severe Criticism" as my punsihment.

[underpants]

19. Hell *I* could have told you that

oh that's right, we did



http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Marching_towards_the_Capital_-_September_15,_2007.jpg/250px-Marching_towards_the_Capital_-_September_15,_2007.jpg

[tout_le_monde]

20. tony fed grapes to dumbya

as they shocked and awed iraq to death

[Matilda]

21. Yet even now in interviews, there's no hint of remorse from Blair.

He still speaks in the same earnest pseudo-sincere way of the reasons why war was necessary.

I wonder whether he's trying to fool us still, or has he really convinced himself?