The tragic cost of a rash Iraq war

[dArKeR]

British scientist David Kelly should be alive today. But like thousands of others, he has become a casualty of the American/British rush to make war on Iraq. The defence ministry microbiologist and former United Nations weapons inspector killed himself last week after being sucked into a nasty fight between the government and the media.

Kelly committed suicide after being named as the source for a British Broadcasting Corp. report that Prime Minister Tony Blair's government had "sexed up" intelligence presented to Parliament to strengthen the case for war to a public that opposed it. The BBC reported that the government overplayed a claim that Saddam Hussein could launch chemical and biological weapons on just 45 minutes' notice. Kelly denied saying as much, but committed suicide after a parliamentary grilling.

Blair has ordered a judicial probe of this tragedy, seeking to absolve his government of blame. But he already has lost the public's confidence. Two in three Britons think he has not been trustworthy over the threat posed by Saddam. And there have been calls for him to resign, along with Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon and Blair's communications chief Alastair Campbell. The public feels duped and angry.

In Washington, U.S. President George Bush is also under siege for exaggerating Saddam's nuclear ambitions to justify war. His support is fading.

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