Chilcot Does A Volte Face

Sir John Chilcot, had said that he would not call Gordon Brown to the inquiry into the Iraq war ahead of the general election, in order to avoid its hearings becoming caught up in party politics.

However, Brown has since written to Sir John advising him that he is prepared to attend pre election (if called next month).

Bowing to the inevitable, Sir John has asked Brown to attend in the next month and said that he had invited Gordon Brown to give evidence to the Iraq inquiry "as a matter of fairness".

Aside from blowing the schedule of the inquiry out of the water, this volte face (in the face of political pressure) also severely damages the credibility and authority of the inquiry.

Asking For Trouble

Sir David Omand, Blair's former security co-ordinator, told the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war that claiming Iraq had weapons of mass destruction which could be used within 45 minutes in a dossier was "asking for trouble".

He also stated that Blair and the government were warned that the proposed course of action in Iraq could draw "large numbers" to Islamic extremism.

So many people in government, at the time that these decisions were being made, seemed to know that the case for war was flawed.

Yet they still went ahead with it!

In other news, Gordon Brown has said that he will appear before the Chilcot Inquiry anytime they want him.

Let them take him at his word, and call him before the election.

The Truth Will Out

Geoff Hoon, ex defence minister and "expert" on regime change (both in Iraq and the Labour Party), has appeared before the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.

He lost no opportunity in putting the boot into Gordon Brown, by noting that he had cut the budget for helicopters in 2003.

He also stated that the post invasion US planning was chaotic, indeed he admitted that he knew that before the war actually started.

He also noted that planning in the UK had started too late, and had written to Tony Blair complaining that no one had been identified to succeed Saddam Hussein.

Such a "pity" for the people of Iraq, and the troops who are dying out there, that these concerns were not made public at the time.

Blair Got It Wrong

Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair's aide during his time in office, told the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war that Blair's assumption that Saddam Hussein had WMD was (in the cruel light of reality) wrong.

Blair went to war based on a long-standing "assumption" that Saddam Hussein still possessed weapons of mass destruction, because he had used them in the past.

Blair was once described at school as being lazy when it came to details. True to form when deciding to go to war, rather than use up to date detailed intelligence, he based is decision on past assumptions.

Powell told the inquiry that intelligence on Saddam's WMD was not the pivotal factor in the decision to go to war in Iraq.

Powell is quoted in the Telegraph telling the inquiry:

"Iraq didn't have weapons of mass destruction. We were wrong. The intelligence was wrong.

When our forces went in, we were absolutely amazed to discover there weren't any weapons of mass destruction."

When asked if he had any concerns about the intelligence not being up to date, Powell said:

"We had an assumption, and we had that assumption because Saddam Hussein had lied about using WMD and he had lied about getting rid of them. We had bombed Iraq in 1998 on that basis and it would have taken some quite strong evidence to suggest he had got rid of them.

We didn't really have any doubts about it and I don't think other people had any doubts about it."

Beware leaders who rush to war without doubts, they will lead themselves and their people to destruction.

Justice

In Iraq it has been announced that "Chemical Ali" will be executed in a few days, for ordering the gassing of 5,000 Kurds in the Iraqi town of Halabja. Ali Hassan al-Majid will die by hanging.

Meanwhile in the UK, Tony Blair can expect a less "final" outcome from his forthcoming appearance before the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.

A public ballot will be held today for people wanting seats (60 are available) to watch Blair when he appears later his month/February.