More Lies From Blair, Blair Knew Iraq Had Nothing to do with 9/11

Citing 9/11, Blair Defends Legacy at Iraq Inquiry

NY TIMES

Almost seven years after he ordered British troops to join the American-led invasion of Iraq, former Prime Minister Tony Blair testified Friday before an official inquiry into the conflict, offering a spirited defense of his legacy in the face of criticism that he had led Britain into an unpopular war and misled the nation about his reasons for doing so.

In six hours of scheduled hearings, many of the questions were likely to turn on his relationship with former President George W. Bush after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, particularly confidential meetings he had with Mr. Bush in 2002 to discuss the fervor for an enforced change of government in Iraq, even though there was no evidence that Iraq had anything to do with the attacks in New York and Washington.

Before 9/11, Mr. Blair said on Friday, referring to the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, “We thought he was a risk, but it was worth trying to contain it. The crucial thing after Sept. 11 is that the calculus of risk changed.”

He continued, “The point about this terrorist act was that over 3,000 people had been killed on the streets of New York, and this is what changed my perception of risk: if these people inspired by this religious fanaticism could have killed 30,000, they would have.” Discussing America’s plans after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Blair said, “I didn’t want America to feel it had no option but to do it alone.”

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