Report: Blair Despaired at Iraq Planning

[babylonsister]

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Britain-Iraq.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

: Blair Despaired at Iraq Planning


Filed at 9:51 p.m. ET

LONDON (AP) -- Prime Minister Tony Blair committed British troops to Iraq even though he despaired at the failure of the United States to plan adequately for the aftermath of the invasion, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The Observer quoted Jeremy Greenstock, a former British envoy to Baghdad, as saying Blair ''was tearing his hair over some of the deficiencies'' in planning for the stabilization and reconstruction of the country.

''There were moments of throwing his hands in the air,'' added Greenstock, who was Britain's representative in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.

The newspaper said the remarks were made in a documentary about Blair's decade in power to be shown next week on Britain's Channel 4 television. The documentary is presented by Andrew Rawnsley, who is also The Observer's chief political correspondent.

The newspaper said David Manning, the current British ambassador in Washington, told the Channel 4 documentary that Blair was ''very exercised'' about postwar planning as early as March 2002, a year before the invasion.

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[madfloridian]

1. He had a brain and a mouth and access to media.

He should just STFU now. It is way too late for him to matter anymore.

[Amonester]

2. Yep. His legacy will be printed in history books from now on ...

(if this planet doesn't blow up in fumes)

Blair, Tony. (...) War criminal of the beginning of the twenty-first century...

[Phredicles]

3. He know it would be a catastrophe and he went along with it;

I don't know how he can look at himself in the mirror. Here's hoping he'll have a cell at The Hague where he'll have plenty of time to ponder that and other such questions.

[babylonsister]

5. I hope this is getting a lot of play in GB; I imagine people are furious. nt

[NastyRiffraff]

4. So why the hell did he send British troops in?

He KNOWINGLY and PURPOSELY sent young people in there, being aware that the aftermath would be a disaster.

Sorry, Tony, "throwing hands in the air" ain't enough. You should have shown Bush the door, loudly and publicly. You're as culpable as he is, because you didn't speak up.

[spanone]

6. Breaking::::Tony Blair is dumber than shit.

[slipslidingaway]

7. K&R n/t

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. This reminds me of LBJ's supposed despair over Vietnam.

I have the same amount of sympathy for Blair's "despair" as I did/do over LBJ's.