Blix: Lack of 'Critical Judgment' Led to Iraq War

[Chicago Democrat]

Blix: Lack of 'Critical Judgment' Led to Iraq War
Former Top U.N. Weapons Inspector Blames U.S., U.K. Leaders

March 16, 2004 -- The leaders of the United States and Britain failed to exercise "critical judgment" in going to war against Iraq a year ago despite the lack of hard evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, says Hans Blix, the former chief United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq.

"If you sentence someone to death or you sentence someone to war, you'd better have some evidence," Blix tells NPR's Bob Edwards. "And we didn't feel there was evidence..."

Blix, whose new book is called Disarming Iraq, says he became doubtful about the existence of Iraqi WMD in January 2003. He says U.N. inspectors visited locations in Iraq that intelligence had indicated "as places where there would be weapons. And in none of these cases did we find any weapons."

Nevertheless, Blix says he did not believe before the war that a U.S.-led attack against Iraq was inevitable. The United States hoped that its military buildup, which led Iraq to allow weapons inspections, would cause Iraq to "crack" and come clean about its weapons, Blix says. "But they didn't."

Rest including NPR audio at...

http://www.npr.org/display_pages/features/feature_1767468.html

[RobertSeattle]

1. He has a great quote

Something like upon review of any intel in regards to Iraq WMD, the Bush Administration turned around and quickly summarized it with exclamation marks when they should have used question marks.

[Richardo]

2. Lack of critical judgement was also O'Neill's take...

From The Price of Loyalty:

Bush: "I don't negotiate with myself."

O'Neill recalled: "I wanted to say to the President that all sound analysis is about negotiating with yourself."

But...the PResident made it clear that this was not about analysis. It was about tactics.
--------------------------------------------

Note: This exchange was in regard to tax cuts, not Iraq. Talk about endemic. :eyes:

[Malva Zebrina]

7. the presidunce is incapable of analysis because he is too stupid

so he forces the debate to go where he is comfortable--bully tactics--the only thing he thinks he is capable of--threatening others--weilding power over them, twisting arms, threatening--that is what he thinks "leadership" is about because, well because he is too uninformed, crass and stupid to know any other way

[mhr]

3. Mr. Blix Is The Master Of Understatement!

eom

[damnraddem]

4. Blix makes it sound like an error, rather than a policy of domination.

Yes, it was a mistake even from that perspective; but it was not just an error about WMDs.

[keithyboy]

6. It was planned and carried out for oil and Israel. That's clear.

It was lack of critical judgement of what the fall out would be.

[PurityOfEssence]

12. Don't forget Daddy

Mix and match as you please, but here's my take in rough descending order of importance: Fevenge for Daddy's downfall, Oil (yum), a handy central base of operations, helping Israel, showing the rest of the kids on the playground that we'll crush anybody who gets in our way.

Helping Israel is certainly a big deal for the PNAC and certain other interests in this country, but it's down on the list.

[teryang]

11. It was a calculated plan based upon deceit

Amateur machiavellians, playing at world power.

Superficial and priveleged elitists, living in a bubble come up with a plan for war and world domination to save their usurpation of power. No need to be diplomatic in criticizing this group.

[boobooday]

5. Lack of any judgement

Lack of critical grey matter.

Hans Blix, vindicated! As we all knew he would be. When Bush was smearing him, I kept thinking, what are you going to do when this is all over and he is proved right? Accuse him of kicking puppies?



http://www.wgoeshome.com

[moondust]

8. Whatever.

Call it what you want, explain it away. It was the Neocon agenda, planned long before 9-11. Nothing Blix or anybody else could have done to change it. Osama bin Laden and 9-11 didn't even even change it but just provided convenient cover.

I hope Mr. Blix's book does well.

[Manix]

9. Just what you expect when you have a imbecile in charge.

[Clyde39]

10. The families of those who were killed must be aching

I was in my twenties during Viet Nam and I know how betrayed I felt then. It's as though it's happening all over again.