Bit by bit, Blair is forced to face the truth

[cal04]

Andrew Gilligan finds that Lord Butler has purportedly exonerated the Prime Minister, while supporting many key charges against him, the government and the intelligence services

On the 45-minute point, the thing which I claimed had been included as part of a drive to sex up the dossier, Butler is scathing. The intelligence was wrong, it should never have been in there, and this led to ‘suspicions that it had been included because of its eye-catching character’. Butler finds that key elements of the dossier were misleading, because they were presented without the necessary caveats and explanations.

Lord Butler is, of course, the ultimate establishment trusty — the man who cleared Jonathan Aitken of lying — so the fact that he has come to these relatively strong judgments shows just how serious the problems were. Yet perhaps his very status as the official’s official may also explain the nature of the verdict.

It is clear that my story was overwhelmingly correct; and that the mistake I made was a wholly insufficient foundation for the volume of attack belatedly directed at it by the government. Journalism, my journalism, got closer to the truth, more quickly, about Mr Blair’s case for war than anything else did. It may well be that we would not have learnt all that we have learnt since without it. So I feel happier this week.

The Prime Minister has not been sentenced to death by Butler. But he may have suffered a worse fate — survival, with an endless cloud marked ‘Iraq’ above him.

http://www.antiwar.com/spectator/spec345.html

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Poodle doodle.

The Prime Minister has not been sentenced to death by Butler. But he may have suffered a worse fate — survival, with an endless cloud marked ‘Iraq’ above him.<<

Ever so reluctantly they (Bush & Blair) cheerleaded for war in Iraq. Ever so reluctantly.... not. That's what you get for being a lap dog.

[cliss]

2. Moral of the story:

when you are friends with Bush, you pay and pay and pay and pay and pay.

You help him out, lend a hand and feel good about being available for him. Given enough time, though, you see that he was nothing but a user. When Blair sees his own support slowly sinking day by day, Bush just stands off to the side, whistling and twirling his thumbs.

Remember Jose Maria Aznar or Spain, Blair?