Intelligence chief: Dossier exaggerated the case for war

[0007]

Iraqi weapons capability 'was not accurately
represented'; concerns over both content and
source of key 45-minute claim
04 September 2003

Tony Blair's case for invading Iraq was in tatters
last night after damning public criticism by two
senior intelligence officials of the way the
September weapons dossier was manipulated by
government "spin merchants".

Brian Jones, who headed the intelligence
department dedicated to investigating Iraq's
weapons of mass destruction programme, told
the Hutton inquiry there was deep disquiet among
his colleagues about the way significant evidence
they had supplied for the dossier was altered. He
said evidence in the dossier was "over-egged",
the language was too strong and there were misgivings over the
now-infamous claim that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction in
45 minutes.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=440041

Will this look bad for junior? If Blair goes down on this one and it sure looks like it, then I'd say junior looses
creditable.

[trumad]

1. ummm sounds familiar....

Mr A told the inquiry: "The perception was that the dossier had been round the houses several times in order to find a form of words that would strengthen certain political objectives.''

[dbt]

2. Enough with the euphemisms already!

How many MORE ways can the press (British and Murkin) find to dodge the REAL word:

LYING!

:grr:
dbt

[T_i_B]

3. First the decision, then the dossier

Isn't it supposed to be the other way round? No wonder the dossiers were such tripe. Why must we have a government that puts the cart of third way ideology before the horse of known facts?

[Spentastic]

4. Blair should burn for this

But he won't. He'll just do the "trust me" thing and the dumb asses will.

For all DU's vitriol and belief that Blair is in danger. He's not really, not in the slightest.

AP must be happy as Larry.

[rjbcar27]

5. Totally agree

Blair will come out of this grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Teflon Tony.

[Capt_Nemo]

6. Doesn't matter anymore

as long as neo-con ideology instead of reality is driving the
occupiers policy in Iraq, things there will go from bad to worse.

Iraq is slowly killing Blair in political terms.

It is the political equivalent of the "death of a thousand cuts".

Either Labour lets go off Blair and blairism or it will suffer an
historical defeat.

[rjbcar27]

7. Defeat?

Who will defeat Labour?

The tories certainly will not, nor will the Lib Dems. Even with Blair at the helm I cannot envisage anything other than another re-election.

[T_i_B]

8. I agree

Blair's landslide majority means that nobody can challenge him with any great effectiveness in parliament and it will take at least two elections before "new" labour can be turfed out anyway.

Add to that Blair's party reforms which have been done with the specific intention of alienating the left and depriving progressives of a real voice in a party that was set up to serve as the party of the left and you can see that there is not much point in expecting the Labour party to grow a set of balls and take on the neo-cons that have hijacked the party.

The result is that Britiain has become effectivly a one party state, a democracy in name only. It is not much point trying the old vote for us or its the tories ploy because to all intents and purposes Blair IS a tory.

This is a sad situation that has resulted in the ruling establishment becoming almost completly disconnected from the people they are supposed to serve. The question is of course how best to change things and from where I am sitting the least worst option looks like working towards making the Liberal Democrats the main opposition in this country. Sad to say this but I really cannot see "new" labour reforming its ways any time soon.

[Capt_Nemo]

9. When the brewing Iraqi shitstorm hits the UK shores

UK voters will not vote FOR anybody, but AGAINST who got them in
that mess in the first place.
Current poll numbers (technical draw between Labour and Cons)don't guarantee an absolute majority and that's
the only way Blair will survive.
And since Iraq is bound to get worse, Blair's public image is beyond
rehabilitation.