The two crucial mistakes that cost Straw his job [View All]

[deminks]

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,,1768928,00.html?gusrc=rss

Jack Straw made two crucial mistakes in his dealings with Tony Blair: one involved the prime minister's relationship with Gordon Brown and the other Iran. Mr Straw has said repeatedly that it is "inconceivable" that there will be a military strike on Iran and last month dismissed as "nuts" a report that George Bush was keeping on the table the option of using tactical nuclear weapons against Tehran's nuclear plants.

But Mr Blair, who sees Iran as the world's biggest threat, does not agree with his former foreign secretary. The prime minister argues that, at the very least, nothing should be ruled out in order to keep Iran guessing. Downing Street phoned the Foreign Office several times to suggest Mr Straw stop going on the BBC Today programme and ruling it out so categorically.

His fate was sealed when the White House called Mr Blair and asked why the foreign secretary kept saying these things. In any case, Mr Straw had boxed himself in on Iran to the extent that he would have had to resign if a military strike became a reality.

Mr Blair was also irritated by what he saw as Mr Straw's opportunism in shifting his loyalty towards Mr Brown with unseemly haste in expectation that he would be the next prime minister.

(end snip)

Or was it because Straw got too close to Condi?