Guardian: One stark truth: Blair was wrong and must admit it now

[Dudley_DUright]

Guardian interview with Robin Cook. Excellent.

<snip>

Cook's forensic brain has boiled down the issue to what he sees is a stark truth: there are no weapons of mass destruction, so the government got it wrong, and should now say so.

"There is a problem of credibility if they continue to deny reality. There have been recently a number of government ministers or spokesmen saying that the September dossier was accurate. It clearly wasn't accurate. There aren't any weapons ready for use in 45 minutes, there was no uranium from Niger, there were no chemical production factories rebuilt, there was no nuclear weapons programme."

Cook believes it is essential that this is now recognised. "If they don't want to have the continued problem of credibility, they have to find some way of admitting that there were errors made - in good faith, by all means - but certainly there were errors made and the case for war, which was put to parliament, has turned out to be unjustified."

What of Tony Blair's belief that something may yet turn up? More precise, quiet scorn. "We are not now going to find a credible weapon of mass destruction that poses a current and serious danger to Britain, as was the phrase used in the debate on Iraq before the war. Such a weapon requires quite a large industrial infrastructure, a large workforce.

<snip>

more...

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/interviews/story/0,11660,992985,00.html

[Jack Rabbit]

1. Thank you

Cook's forensic brain has boiled down the issue to what he sees is a stark truth: there are no weapons of mass destruction, so the government got it wrong, and should now say so.
"There is a problem of credibility if they continue to deny reality. There have been recently a number of government ministers or spokesmen saying that the September dossier was accurate. It clearly wasn't accurate. There aren't any weapons ready for use in 45 minutes, there was no uranium from Niger, there were no chemical production factories rebuilt, there was no nuclear weapons programme."
Cook believes it is essential that this is now recognised. "If they don't want to have the continued problem of credibility, they have to find some way of admitting that there were errors made - in good faith, by all means - but certainly there were errors made and the case for war, which was put to parliament, has turned out to be unjustified."

I'd feel a lot better if Lieberman, Edwards, Kerry and Gephardt would take that advice, too.

[realityboy]

3. "in good faith"

In British parliamentarey speak "in good faith" is similar to calling your opponent "the right honourable gentleman" i.e. the exact polar opposite of what is said. So for "in good faith" substitute "with bare faced contempt".

[Dudley_DUright]

4. Thanks for explaining that

I did get the feeling that the comment was sarcastic in nature.

[T_i_B]

2. Blair is in too deep

For Blair to admit he was wrong is to concede his premiership. War is to serrious a matter to make such huge mistakes. That is why Blair will never own up and those of us who are not conviced by Blair's excuses are equally conviced of the need to drive those idiots who do make such big mistakes out of office.