McTag
No didnt hear the Mair interview. But I've always thought Blair is a genius of a salesman/lawyer/politician, with the killer ingredient, as you say sincerety in large measure. (is that how you spell sincerity...not a word I'm used to
Of course he's also very religious, so perhaps he doesn't find it too difficult to believe nonsense.
But I think he's too clever for that. Unless he's the sort of person who orders intelligence to be "sexed up" then believes every word of it.
I think it went something like this:
Blair...(exasperated) You know Saddam is wriggling out of every excuse we might use to justify the invasion. He's actually been co operating by and large with inspectors. If the UN dont give us the go ahead, we have to have some damning evidence on wmd, and we just dont have any.
Campbell. You want me to put something together?
Blair. Yes good idea. You do that then I'll get MI6 and the JIC to sign off on it. After all that's what they're there for isn't it?
Campbell. Not exactly. They are supposed to provide well researched and factual information..
Blair. Yes but that stuff is for ME. They are in our service. In a situation like this they will have to do their patriotic duty and put their names to a load of bull. Anyway I can always sweeten things with John Scarlett by promising him head of MI6.
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When the argument of the 45 minute to doomsday story was raging, Blair admitted in the House of Commons (I heard him) that when he was told Saddam might have stocks of VX and Sarin, that he didn't pursue it further.
i.e. he had just been told Saddam had missiles and maybe nerve gas warheads and he just said ok, next.
One commentator said if a civil servant had told Thatcher something similar at the time of the Falklands war, she would have had him pinned to the wall and grilled to an inch of his life as to what it all meant.
But Blair knew the truth, so he didnt want to know further....
