The Ambassador's Tale

[FightingFat]

I think few doubt this series of events is true. I still find it difficult to believe we have allowed this to happen however and still can consider ourselves the good guys.

We already knew that by April 2002, when he met Mr Blair at his Texas ranch, Mr Bush was decided. He told Trevor McDonald at Crawford on ITV in April 2002: “I made up my mind that Saddam needs to go.”

Sir Christopher adds supporting detail. He quotes a Cabinet Office memo that Mr Blair told Mr Bush that Britain would support military action on two conditions. These were that the UN had to be brought into examine the issue of the alleged weapons, and that an effort had to be made to settle the Israel/Palestine issue.

Sir Christopher’s position therefore is that the decision was taken first, and that the UN route and the effort to re-invigorate the Middle East peace process were add-ons. And he admits to doubts as to whether they were really fulfilled.

All of this makes it rather curious that he then concludes that the war was not inevitable.

He says that from where he sat, the road to war looked anything but straight. Yet from where he sat, he could hear the beat of the drums.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4421812.stm