Clare Short: Blair misled us and took UK into an illegal war

[babsbunny]

Former minister says government was a 'lunatic asylum' in runup to attack with Gordon Brown also 'unhappy and marginalised'


http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/feb/02/clare-short-evidence-iraq-inquiry

Richard Norton-Taylor

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 2 February 2010 19.

Tony Blair and Lord Goldsmith, his attorney general, misled parliament and the cabinet before Britain, to its "eternal shame", joined the US-led invasion of Iraq, Clare Short told the Chilcot inquiry today.

During nearly three hours of testimony, the then international development secretary, who resigned soon after the March 2003 invasion as a result of what she called broken promises, described the atmosphere within the government during the runup to war. It was chaotic and fraught, she said, adding: "We were in a bit of a lunatic asylum."

Short described how she used to meet Gordon Brown in the weeks before the invasion. "I had various cups of coffee with Gordon," she said. "He was very unhappy and marginalised."

[FiveGoodMen]

1. And what is anybody going to do about it?

[LeftishBrit]

2. k&r

[leftfish]

3. Functioning democracy

What is painful for us in the United States about the Chilcot inquiry is that here such an inquiry would be unimaginable. We live in a world of cognitive dissonance here which we have learned to accept. It is widely understood that we went to war on false pretenses, that we were woefully unprepared to take over Iraq, that we were led by fools and zealots into an undertaking that went against all our country stood for, and yet we walk away from all with scarce a whimper. Why do we accept the dissonance? Are there not enough venues for speaking out? Or do we just not care enough? And the present situation, with Republicans blocking the will of the majority--are we just going to let that happen, and then let them argue that the Democrats ran a do-nothing Congress? Are we really going to let that happen?

[Gregorian]

4. This is getting better and better. And it won't go away.

Permanent hangover for Bush and Blair.

[timeforpeace]

5. What is an illegal war anyway? What is a legal war? Thanks in advance.

[malaise]

6. Clare hates Blair with good reason

She tore him a new one before that invasion.

I wish Robin Cook was still alive. He would have destroyed Blair.