UK's Hoon Drags Blair Into Dead Scientist Inquiry

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030827/wl_nm/iraq_britain_scientist_dc&cid=574&ncid=1473

LONDON (Reuters) - A fateful decision to thrust Britain's top Iraq weapons expert into the limelight days before he killed himself was taken with Prime Minister Tony Blair's approval, Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said Wednesday.

Hoon -- whose job is on the line for his role in the worst crisis of Blair's six-year premiership -- said to avoid allegations of a cover-up, he overruled top-level advice that he protect the scientist from the public glare.

Widely seen as a potential government "fall guy," Hoon was the most senior official yet to take the stand at the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of David Kelly, who was found with a slashed wrist last month.

Blair is due to testify Thursday and will now face serious probing into his personal role.

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1. This photo is priceless

An anti-war protester awaits the arrival of Britain's Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, August 27, 2003. Hoon on Wednesday became the first member of the cabinet to appear before the Hutton Inquiry into the death of government weapons expert Dr David Kelly, as the government strives to convince Britons it did not hype the threat posed by Iraq. (Darren Staples/Reuters) (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030827/161/536ta.html)

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2. WRIGGLING HOON PASSES BUCK ON KELLY

DEFENCE Secretary Geoff Hoon blamed everyone except himself yesterday in a bare-faced attempt to save his political skin.


During three hours of evidence to the Hutton inquiry he hit out in all directions in a desperate attempt to disentangle himself from the naming of tragic weapons expert Dr David Kelly. In an extraordinary bout of buck-passing he dumped on No 10, its media chief Alastair Campbell and Tony Blair's chief of staff Jonathan Powell plus his own senior civil servants, M16 and the Foreign Affairs Committee.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13341862_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-WRIGGLING%2DHOON%2DPASSES%2DBUCK%2DON%2DKELLY-name_page.html

http://darkerxdarker.tripod.com/

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3. The dog ate my WMD's!

Is there a sign on (buf)Hoon's desk that reads THE BUCK STOPS......SOMEWHERE ELSE! because it would seem that way after his performance yesterday.

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4. When do we get to see Colin Powell

under penetrating interrogation for the lies and misinformation he presented to the UN last February?

Is it conspicuous that ordesr were coming from Washington? Or am I just in a dream?