London
A British parliamentary committee this week concluded that Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government did not doctor intelligence reports to justify invading Iraq. Blair has faced blistering criticism for making the questionable claim that Saddam Hussein had the ability to unleash bioweapons within 45 minutes. Opponents said Blair’s “dodgy dossier” misled Parliament, and sold the nation on war. Lawmakers on the committee said that some of Blair’s language was “too assertive,” but they had no doubt that the government “genuinely perceived” Iraq to be a threat. Government officials immediately demanded a retraction from the BBC, which reported that Blair aides had “sexed up” the case for war.
