Wednesday, July 06, 2016

The Day the Iraq War Came Back to Condemn Tony Blair



It's taken seven years for a British inquiry to render its verdict on Tony Blair, and his role in the Iraq War.

But at last the verdict is in.

It couldn't be more devastating.

And Blair couldn't look more like a war criminal. 



Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain went to war alongside the United States in Iraq in 2003 on the basis of flawed intelligence that went unchallenged, a shaky legal rationale, inadequate preparation and exaggerated public statements, an independent inquiry into the war concluded in a report published on Wednesday.

Or more like a poodle of his buddy George Bush...



The report is likely to underline in Britain the sense that Mr. Blair was “Washington’s poodle,” the phrase widely used by Mr. Blair’s critics at the time.

Or more like his hapless stooge.

Mr. Bush said: “You know, Tony, the American people will never forget what you are doing. And people say to me, you know, is Prime Minister Blair really with you all the way? Do you have faith in him? 

And I say: ‘Yes, because I recognize leadership when I see it. And true courage. He won’t let us down.’ ” Mr. Blair laughed, unsure, Ms. Helm recounted, then said, “Well, it might be my epitaph.”

It was all a Big Lie.

There were no weapons of mass destruction.

“The judgments about the severity of the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction were presented with a certainty that was not justified,” it said.

Thirteen years after the war began Iraqis are still suffering. 

“Bush and Blair conspired to destroy the most ancient civilisation in the world. They targeted us because we are rich in prophets and holy men. The beginning of creation was in Iraq and the end of creation will be here as well."

“They planted an atom bomb called sectarianism inside the state. We did not gain anything else. 


We are hungry, tired and insecure...We are now a nation of beggars. Only those with the wounds feel the pain of the wounds.



And still dying.

And all of us are still paying for that bloody fiasco.

A country was destroyed, at least half a million people were killed, millions were wounded and/or scarred psychologically. And another million Iraqis were forced to become refugees.

Out of the ashes rose the genocidal ISIS crazies to terrorize the world.

Mission accomplished indeed. 

And so much for that shock and awe...



Can you remember how some Americans cheered as the bombs rained down on Baghdad?

Watching it live on CNN.

Wasn't it fun while it lasted?



Even though it was the worst human catastrophe since the Second World War.

And the only question to be determined is will the poodle pay for his crimes?

For if the English courts won't do it, then Scotland who also lost many soldiers, should administer what justice demands. 

Tony Blair could be tried for war crimes in the Scottish courts, Alex Salmond has suggested.

“You cannot have a situation where this country blunders into an illegal war with the appalling consequences and at the end of the day there isn't a reckoning. There has to be a judicial or political reckoning for it."


The war criminal Tony Blair must answer for his criminal folly in a criminal court. 

And hopefully sent to the place he truly belongs....



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19 comments:

hinofan said...

Canada has its own unpunished war criminals in the Afghan Detainee Affair and in the illegal bombing of Libya.
We need a website like this one.
www.arrestblair.org
Arrest Harper, arrest Kenney, arrest Hawn.

David said...

The lies that led to war
http://www.salon.com/2005/05/19/lies_4/

WEDNESDAY, JUN 8, 2016 01:00 AM PDT
Bush and Cheney belong in jail: America must answer for its illegal war on terror
http://www.salon.com/2016/06/08/bush_and_cheney_belong_in_jail_partner/

The Crimes of the “War on Terror”. Should George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Others Be Jailed
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-crimes-of-the-war-on-terror-should-george-bush-dick-cheney-and-others-be-jailed/5529696

Full Show: The Lies That Lead to War (June 27, 2014)
http://billmoyers.com/episode/the-truth-vs-dcs-propaganda-machine/

Full Show: Chaos in Iraq
June 20, 2014
http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-chaos-in-iraq/?gclid=CPiw0Ji2or8CFZSEfgodCFwA7w

935 LIES
The Future Of Truth and the Decline of America's Moral Integrity
Charles Lewis
http://www.935lies.com/

David said...

Blair said he "accepts full responsibility" for his decision to go to war. What a hollow phrase that has become with politicians.

Anonymous said...

I can't think of a suitable punishment for the crimes that Blair and Bush have committed against the Middle East, mostly in defense of Israel and Oil, but the deepest levels of hell might come close.

e.a.f. said...

Both Blair and Bush ought to be tried in the Hague for war crimes. It is where other leaders have been brought and those two should be there. Bush can be relieved that Dutch jails are not like American jails.

Even if the two never are sentenced to jail, I THINK it right and proper they were tried and a verdict rendered. We might want to add old Steve Harper to the mix also, sort of a hat trick.

Anonymous said...

Jean Chretien made the right call, but so far I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

Steve said...

A slap on the wrist. Dr Kelly is still dead!

Steve said...

Harper would have spent billions and had at least 20 brave young people die for his vanity.

David said...

What about Rumsfeld and Cheney?

Rumsfeld: Why I will vote for Trump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7cRK_uZj_U

The lies that led to war
http://www.salon.com/2005/05/19/lies_4/

WEDNESDAY, JUN 8, 2016
Bush and Cheney belong in jail: America must answer for its illegal war on terror
http://www.salon.com/2016/06/08/bush_and_cheney_belong_in_jail_partner/

The Crimes of the “War on Terror”. Should George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Others Be Jailed
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-crimes-of-the-war-on-terror-should-george-bush-dick-cheney-and-others-be-jailed/5529696

Full Show: The Lies That Lead to War
June 27, 2014
http://billmoyers.com/episode/the-truth-vs-dcs-propaganda-machine/

Full Show: Chaos in Iraq
June 20, 2014
http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-chaos-in-iraq/?gclid=CPiw0Ji2or8CFZSEfgodCFwA7w

935 LIES
The Future Of Truth and the Decline of America's Moral Integrity
Charles Lewis
http://www.935lies.com/

David said...

http://voices-voix.ca/en/hit-list

http://voices-voix.ca/en/facts/profile/richard-colvin

What Happened

Richard Colvin was personally attacked and his credibility questioned by the government for having raised concerns about the Canadian military transferring Afghan prisoners to Afghan security forces, despite the Canadian military knowing that those prisoners might be tortured. In the years that followed, the government ignored and avoided the information that Colvin brought to light, prevented an investigation into the matter, and eventually prorogued Parliament to avoid losing a vote of confidence over the controversy.

Anonymous said...

Love your site and your wit and compassion, Simon. I would just say that, while I am loving most of what JT is bringing to Canada, we always must be ready to recognize and rise up against the "liberal" fog leaf put on colonial, neo-liberal, pro-capitalist action. Ever since 2003, I have not been able to trust the middle. Blair was a Labour PM. And yet...

Anonymous said...

I agree, Chretien made the best move. FS

Simon said...

hi hinofan...yes and I'm sorry to see that demands for an Afghan inquiry are going nowhere. But then compared to Blair and Bush's crimes what we did in Afghanistan is small potatoes. For when you think about what that insane war in Iraq has done to the people of that country and the whole world, it's simply beyond belief. And while Bush can claim insanity or extreme ignorance as a defence, Blair is smart enough to know what he was doing and should be held accountable. Or at the very least muzzled so we don't have to hear from him ever again...

Simon said...

hi David...yes, I suppose they think it makes them seem humble and human. However I interpret that to be a guilty plea, and demand that he be made to pay for his crimes...

Simon said...

hi anon...you're right, it is hard to think of a suitable punishment for a crime as big as that one, especially if you're against capital punishment as I am. And sadly I very much doubt that either Bush or Blair will ever serve a day in jail. But let everybody remember what they did, and let them be shamed most miserably until the day they die...

Simon said...

hi e.a.f...if there was any justice they both would have been sitting in the Hague a long time ago. But as we know there is no justice for the powerful, and this wretched inquiry has taken so long, a lot of people have forgotten that war, and how awful and how criminal it was. Everything from the murderous violence to the destruction of Iraq's rich historical heritage, was an absolute horror show. So I'm hoping that Scotland can at least shame that religious fanatic and war criminal further....

Simon said...

hi anon...that's true, and let's not forget that Great Ugly Leader Stephen Harper, had he been Prime Minister, would have dragged us into that hellish show, and would also be facing demands that he be put on trial as well....

e.a.f. said...

Tony Blair belonged to the Labour Party, but one could never say he was a true Labour Party member. He did much of the same things the Conservatives did, so what was the real difference. He just looked better than the opposition. when the opposition found some one who looked good, they went with him and we got David Cameron. It is hard to tell the two of them apart.

jrkrideau said...

The thing that has always amazed me is the "flawed intelligence" argument. For anyone outside of the USA and who was not Tony Blair it was patently obvious that 99% of the so-called evidence was a collection of lies and fantasy.

There was no flawed intelligence. The US and UK intelligence agencies rolled over for their masters and invented anything they wanted.

Watching Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei call Colin Powel a lier was most interesting and showed the complete sham that the argument for attacking Iraq was.