Former Cabinet minister Robin Cook has called on Tony Blair to admit he was wrong to go to war over the threat posed by Iraq.
| Oh, hang it up, Robin. You can't have your old job back. You're out. |
The Prime Minister repeatedly warned of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the conflict. Faced with mounting scepticism about their existence, Mr Blair and senior ministers have repeatedly insisted they will be found. But US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld claimed last night they may have been destroyed by the Iraqis before war broke out. The "breathtaking" claim was rejected by Mr Cook, who said it proved he was right to quit as Commons Leader in protest at the war. He said: "That does not add up. If Donald Rumsfeld is now admitting the weapons are not there, the truth is the weapons probably haven't been there for quite a long time."
| Guess Sammy shouldn't have implied they were. Guess he should have let the inspectors in. Guess he shoulda let the scientists talk to them without keepers in tow. Guess he should have permitted verification instead of acting like he was hiding them. And, of course, they might still turn up... |
UN weapons inspector Hans Blix should have been allowed to continue with his work, Mr Cook told the BBC.
| I shoulda been allowed to spend twenty intense minutes alone with Jane Seymour when she was in her prime, too. Make that thirty intense minutes. But I wasn't, and he wasn't, and Jane missed out, so life's tough all around, ain't it? |
Mr Cook said: "We were told Saddam had weapons ready for use within 45 minutes. It's now 45 days since the war has finished and we have still not found anything. What, of course, is important about this is that the war was sold on the basis of what was described as a pre-emptive strike. Hit Saddam before he hits us. It is now quite clear that Saddam did not have anything with which to hit us in the first place."
| Seems like the lesson here should be "never wave a weapon you don't have." |
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