Tony Blair: ‘I wanted war – it was the right thing to do’

[sabra]

Source: Sunday Timesonline

Tony Blair has admitted for the first time that he ignored the pleas of his aides and ministers to deter President Bush from waging war on Iraq because he believed that America was doing the right thing. And he has acknowledged that he turned down a last-ditch offer from Mr Bush to pull Britain out of the conflict.

He has also revealed that he wishes he had published the full reports from the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) instead of the infamous September dossier about Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction that so damaged him, and was almost certainly one of the factors that contributed to him leaving office sooner than he wanted.

...

The documentary contains clear evidence that many of those around Mr Blair, including Sir David Manning, his foreign policy adviser, Jeremy Greenstock, Britain’s ambassador at the UN, Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary at the time, and even Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, had huge reservations about the rush to war.Mr Blair said: “In my view, if it wasn’t clear that the whole nature of the way Saddam was dealing with this issue had changed, I was in favour of military action.”

The programme reveals that the key meeting at which Mr Bush learnt that he had Mr Blair on side took place at Camp David in September 2002 – six months before hostilities began. In return for promising Mr Blair that he would try to help get a second resolution at the UN, he also won Mr Blair’s pledge that if he got “stuck” in the UN, war would be the only way out. Mr Blair later suggested that Mr Bush tried for a second resolution as a “favour” to him.


Read more: http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/the_blair_years/article2886547.ece

[rodeodance]

1. AFTER ALL THESE YEARS HE STILL IS A DELUSIONAL AS BUSH

[dailykoff]

17. More, far more.

At least dumya knows he's lying. Tony is tool's tool.

[LeftishBrit]

2. What a sick, deluded man

An incredible disappointment to the people of Britain, and a very negative influence on the world.

He said, shortly before the end of his term, that the British need to be not just 'peacekeepers' but 'warfighters'. In a country where even hawks tend to speak euphemistically of e.g. 'the need for a strong defence', this was quite startling. He really thinks that he and Bush were leading the forces of Good, and that whatever they did was justified. That sort of attitude is scary in a leader.

[LiberalFighter]

6. Probably as delusional as any of the British soccer fans that get out of hand.

[Benhurst]

3. Thanks, Tony. Now they'll have a film to show at your war crimes trial.

Nasty, evil little turd.

[MaineDem]

4. Who ever WANTS war?

Well, besides the BFEE I mean.

Who in his right mind ever wants....never mind, I just answered my own question.

[LeftishBrit]

5. Yes, welll that's the difference..

between being 'in your right mind' and 'up Bush's right-wing behind'.

[nancyr]

7. Then he should of actually gone there and fought.

That would clear his mind rapidly. It's easy to play war...something else to actually participate.

[Amonester]

8. bLiar admission he had no problem about breaking International Law

When will the ICC indict his poodle arse now? If Milosevic was indicted for war crimes, why wouldn't bLiar? Is there anything called 'fair' Justice?

[Faygo Kid]

9. War criminal. Britain should try him for war crimes.

He took his nation into war KNOWING the buildup was nothing but lies (Downing Street Memo, among others), and lied to the people he was elected to serve so as to live the neocon dream.

Yes, that describes Bush, too. And both are war criminals.

[Orsino]

10. Correction: he wanted OTHER people to have a war.

He just wanted to watch.

[Kool Kitty]

20. Yes, and since Mr. Blair doesn't seem to have

anything else to do right now, perhaps he should be issued a uniform and a gun and marched off to fight in the war he so much wanted.

[Ghost Dog]

11. Hmmm. I foresee a process (& probable outcome) not dissimilar to that of PINOCHET

for this smug person.

[Progressive Friend]

12. Blair openly admits that he even desired to be a war criminal

Hopefully his words will be used against him in a court of law someday.

[daleo]

13. I wonder if Tony Blair is sitting on many Bushco corporate boards yet?

One suspects that he will get his reward, one way or another.

[LynnTheDem]

14. Finally, Tony bLiar admits to having waged an ILLEGAL INVASION.

That'll make things much easier for the UK's Chief Justice (who has already deemed bLiar's invasion of Iraq "illegal", as did his predecessor)

[defendandprotect]

15. Blair and Bush --- Christians talking to the same "god" . . . ????

Does a belief in a "god" make people dumb?

Or just give them an alibi to lie?

"I wanted war" . . .

These men give us war --- while they ensure their own war profiteering and their own safety ---

as they destroy democracy and freedom.

[Odin2005]

16. Anyone that thinks they want war needs to see a shrink.

[sutz12]

18. "War...it's not just for breakfast anymore."

:evilgrin:

[Matilda]

19. Can he admit even to himself that if he hadn't taken Britain to war,

he might still be leading his country today?

[Desperadoe]

21. Flip-Flopper

Before he was Bush's poodle, he was Clinton's poodle. Maybe there isn't much difference.

[RainDog]

22. Jeff Gannon, anyone?

Didn't Gannon brag about being at the White House for a Blair visit? Maybe Blair was so committed b/c they have photos...

Just my own question, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised.

[IndianaGreen]

23. We don't need a trial, Blair already confessed. To the gallows with him!

Who ordered the assassination of Dr. Kelley, Tony?

[Alexander]

24. No wonder he's converted to Catholicism.

I have a hunch Teflon Tony is so disgusted with his own soul that he feels being a Catholic is the only thing that will keep him out of hell.

[Nihil]

25. He needs to confess ...

... and a Catholic priest is about the only person he could tell
without it going straight to the press and then to court.