Butler provides the props for another great escape (The Guardian)

[IndianaGreen]

Butler provides the props for another great escape

Simon Hoggart
Thursday July 15, 2004
The Guardian

Another day, another vindication. No wonder Tony Blair looked cheerful and relaxed.

Up before the Spanish inquisition, he'd have said there was no direct evidence of blasphemy, and definitely no intention of blasphemy, so the boys in the black leather hoods would have whisked him off the rack and given him a nice dry sherry.

The gist of his statement was, and this is a paraphrase: "I take all the responsibility but none of the blame."

He was helped, of course, by the Butler report itself. Lord Butler is not a man to leave important persons, still less personages, dangling in danger. Just when you think he's going to stamp on someone's fingers, he rushes to the bottom of the cliff with a safety net. This is what is known as "a balanced judgment". Mistakes were made, but no one was at fault. Untruths were told, but nobody was lying.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/comment/0,12956,1261677,00.html

For another point of view, read CHIMO's post in this forum:

Butler Spreads the Blame

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x62626