Blair Faces Censure for Iraq War Case

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040714/wl_nm/iraq_britain_inquiry_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

Five days after a Senate committee lambasted U.S. intelligence services for exaggerating the threat of Iraqi weapons, Lord Butler's report is likely to subject British spy agencies to similarly tough scrutiny.


Crucial to Blair's political future is whether Butler blames only the intelligence-gatherers or extends his criticism to the politicians who used their information to justify joining a U.S.-led war that most Britons opposed.


"This inquiry will be about failure ... Intelligence assessments prepared before the Iraq invasion were so wrong that no amount of political maneuvering can cover the credibility gap," said the Jane's intelligence think-tank.


Butler's findings will be published at 1130 GMT, with Blair due to respond to parliament an hour later.