I see that Blair claims that he would have gone to war anyway, irrespective of WMD.
He claims that he could have presented the rationale for the war without the WMD.
Funny he didn't make that case then at the time.
Could it be that he knew full well that the excuse of WMD (whether they existed or not) would be the only way to persuade the British people to back his private war?
In other words he knew that his "rationale" for war would not stand up to scrutiny.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Darth Vader
Sir John Sawers, now head of MI6 but once a close adviser to Tony Blair, told the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war that foolish decisions to disband the Iraqi army and dismiss thousands of members of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party were taken by the US alone without taking into account British advice.
These decisions, as predicted at the time by those with some understanding of Iraq, proved to be disastrous and significantly contributed to the chaos that followed the ousting of Saddam.
Sawers said that the decisions were taken by Paul Bremer, US head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, on the basis of "pre-agreed Washington policy".
Sawers was also less than complimentary about the attire of US soldiers, which he believed caused a lack of rapport with the locals:
"the posture of the US army in their tanks, in their Darth Vader kit with the wraparound sunglasses and helmets and flak jackets and everything else. There was no real rapport between the US army and the ordinary citizens."
However, whilst it may satisfy Labour party politics to blame the US, the UK had the choice not to become involved in this folly; Labour only have themselves to blame for this mess.
These decisions, as predicted at the time by those with some understanding of Iraq, proved to be disastrous and significantly contributed to the chaos that followed the ousting of Saddam.
Sawers said that the decisions were taken by Paul Bremer, US head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, on the basis of "pre-agreed Washington policy".
Sawers was also less than complimentary about the attire of US soldiers, which he believed caused a lack of rapport with the locals:
"the posture of the US army in their tanks, in their Darth Vader kit with the wraparound sunglasses and helmets and flak jackets and everything else. There was no real rapport between the US army and the ordinary citizens."
However, whilst it may satisfy Labour party politics to blame the US, the UK had the choice not to become involved in this folly; Labour only have themselves to blame for this mess.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Blair Knew There Were No WMDs
Sir John Scarlett, head of the Joint Intelligence Committee in the run-up to the Iraq war, told the Chilcot Inquiry into the war that Tony Blair knew that last-minute intelligence revealed that Saddam Hussein had probably dismantled his chemical and biological weaponry.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Held Together By Chicken Wire
As news comes out of Iraq that 100 people have been killed in terrorist bombings, the Chilcot Inquiry into Iraq heard from Maj Gen Tim Cross, who liaised with the US on reconstruction efforts before the invasion, who said that planning for after the war was "woefully thin".
Indeed so concerned was Maj Cross about the lack of planning, that he urged Tony Blair to delay the invasion.
Blair, true to form, ignored the advice.
Gen Cross went on to say that, when he went to Iraq, the situation was far worse than he feared and that "Baghdad was held together by chicken wire and chewing gum".
Indeed so concerned was Maj Cross about the lack of planning, that he urged Tony Blair to delay the invasion.
Blair, true to form, ignored the advice.
Gen Cross went on to say that, when he went to Iraq, the situation was far worse than he feared and that "Baghdad was held together by chicken wire and chewing gum".
Monday, December 07, 2009
Doctors Call For New Kelly Inquest
Six doctors are calling for a new inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly, the UN weapons inspector hounded to death by the government for leaking the fact that evidence for the Iraq invasion had been "sexed up".
There are those who believe that Dr Kelly was in fact murdered, rather than committed suicide. His body was discovered in woodland 6 years ago, his wrist had been slashed and he had taken painkillers.
The 6 doctors (Dr Stephen Frost, Dr Michael Powers QC, Martin Birnstingl, Dr Christopher Burns-Cox, David Halpin, and Dr Andrew Rouse), in a 13-page dossier calling for a new inquest, argue that the bleeding from Dr Kelly's ulnar artery in his left wrist is "highly unlikely" to have caused his death.
There are those who believe that Dr Kelly was in fact murdered, rather than committed suicide. His body was discovered in woodland 6 years ago, his wrist had been slashed and he had taken painkillers.
The 6 doctors (Dr Stephen Frost, Dr Michael Powers QC, Martin Birnstingl, Dr Christopher Burns-Cox, David Halpin, and Dr Andrew Rouse), in a 13-page dossier calling for a new inquest, argue that the bleeding from Dr Kelly's ulnar artery in his left wrist is "highly unlikely" to have caused his death.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Pakistan Next?
ABC News:
"Militants hurled hand grenades then fired on a mosque near Pakistan's military headquarters after Friday prayers, killing at least 39 people, rescue services said."
Looks like we may be going into Pakistan one day.
"Militants hurled hand grenades then fired on a mosque near Pakistan's military headquarters after Friday prayers, killing at least 39 people, rescue services said."
Looks like we may be going into Pakistan one day.
Planning Banned
The Chilcot Iraq Inquiry continues to reveal the true extent of lies and misrepresentations made to the public during the build up to the Iraq invasion, by the Labour administration.
Admiral Lord Boyce, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, told the inquiry that Geoff Hoon (the defence secretary at the time) blocked him from ordering equipment and mobilising troops for months, in order to keep the plans secret from the public.
Ministers also told him to always err on the side of optimism when giving appraisals as to what could be achieved.
Lord Boyce was not impressed with the preparations made by the US either. It seems that those in charge of US policy were of the naive and dangerous view that US forces would be greeted as liberators, and that flowers would placed in their rifles!
It saddens me to see how a country as powerful as the US never fails to misunderstand how others will react to their policies (both diplomatic and military). This lack of understanding stems from both naivety and arrogance; a very dangerous combination, that has led to countless unnecessary deaths.
When will the US learn that not everyone in the world wants to live the "American Dream", and that democracy cannot be imposed with the barrel of a gun?
Admiral Lord Boyce, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, told the inquiry that Geoff Hoon (the defence secretary at the time) blocked him from ordering equipment and mobilising troops for months, in order to keep the plans secret from the public.
Ministers also told him to always err on the side of optimism when giving appraisals as to what could be achieved.
Lord Boyce was not impressed with the preparations made by the US either. It seems that those in charge of US policy were of the naive and dangerous view that US forces would be greeted as liberators, and that flowers would placed in their rifles!
It saddens me to see how a country as powerful as the US never fails to misunderstand how others will react to their policies (both diplomatic and military). This lack of understanding stems from both naivety and arrogance; a very dangerous combination, that has led to countless unnecessary deaths.
When will the US learn that not everyone in the world wants to live the "American Dream", and that democracy cannot be imposed with the barrel of a gun?
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Yee Hah!
The Chilcot Iraq Inquiry has heard testimony from Lord Boyce (former defence chief), who stated that the US believed the UK would take part in the Iraq invasion even if there were no efforts to solve the crisis via the UN.
In fact, the US saw no need for UN approval. Given that Bush's "ambassador" (never to be formally approved) to the UN at the time was John Bolton, a man who happily stated that the top floors of the UN could be removed without any difference in function, this attitude towards the UN is hardly surprising.
Lord Boyce is quoted by the BBC:
"There was a huge reluctance by the US throughout, from July 2002 through to March 17 2003 to believe that we were not going to commit our forces unless we had been fully through the UN process and through Parliament as well.
No matter how many times you said to senior US officers... there was a complete reluctance to believe that."
The US has learned from the failure in Iraq and Afghanistan that "yee hah!" is not an effective foreign policy tool.
In fact, the US saw no need for UN approval. Given that Bush's "ambassador" (never to be formally approved) to the UN at the time was John Bolton, a man who happily stated that the top floors of the UN could be removed without any difference in function, this attitude towards the UN is hardly surprising.
Lord Boyce is quoted by the BBC:
"There was a huge reluctance by the US throughout, from July 2002 through to March 17 2003 to believe that we were not going to commit our forces unless we had been fully through the UN process and through Parliament as well.
No matter how many times you said to senior US officers... there was a complete reluctance to believe that."
The US has learned from the failure in Iraq and Afghanistan that "yee hah!" is not an effective foreign policy tool.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
What a Shambles!
Aside from being conned into the Iraq war, the British and American people may well be feeling more than a little "aggrieved" over the disgraceful waste of time and resources wrt "rebuilding" the wreck of that country.
The Iraq inquiry in London has heard from two senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials who said that there had been a lack of resources, and that when Blair visited Iraq two months after the invasion he found that the body set up to run Iraq was a "shambles".
Sir Peter Ricketts, the political director at the Foreign Office between 2001 and 2003, said:
"Perhaps most strikingly the Prime Minister when he visited in early June [actually May 30] came back with a forceful sense that Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) was a shambles."
Seemingly British attempts to improve the "dire" planning for the aftermath of the invasion were repeatedly ignored by the USA.
As both the US and UK struggle to fund their ballooning public sector debts, their hapless taxpayers have the right to ask some very pointed questions of their then "leaders" as to what happened to the vast sums of money expended on "rebuilding" Iraq, and why the entire enterprise has turned into such a shambles.
The ex "leaders" responsible for this disgrace should not be allowed to enjoy their well paid retirement from political office, without being made to undergo some heavy duty cross examination on this subject.
The Iraq inquiry in London has heard from two senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials who said that there had been a lack of resources, and that when Blair visited Iraq two months after the invasion he found that the body set up to run Iraq was a "shambles".
Sir Peter Ricketts, the political director at the Foreign Office between 2001 and 2003, said:
"Perhaps most strikingly the Prime Minister when he visited in early June [actually May 30] came back with a forceful sense that Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) was a shambles."
Seemingly British attempts to improve the "dire" planning for the aftermath of the invasion were repeatedly ignored by the USA.
As both the US and UK struggle to fund their ballooning public sector debts, their hapless taxpayers have the right to ask some very pointed questions of their then "leaders" as to what happened to the vast sums of money expended on "rebuilding" Iraq, and why the entire enterprise has turned into such a shambles.
The ex "leaders" responsible for this disgrace should not be allowed to enjoy their well paid retirement from political office, without being made to undergo some heavy duty cross examination on this subject.
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