Brit War Inquiry: "the cojones summit"

The Powell doctrine perverted

1 July 2010 The Goldsmith documents released by Chilcot reveal dubious assurances made by Blair's team in the runup to the Iraq war

Former US general Colin Powell argued that war should only be considered after all 'political, economic, and diplomatic means' had been exhausted. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

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But Bush was determined to extract a quid pro quo, as he made clear when speaking to David Aaronovitch for the BBC2 programme Blair at War in 2007:

"At Camp David, I recognised how important it was to utilize the United Nations … but I also assured [Blair] that sometimes you can get stuck in the United Nations to no end … He confirmed he understood that was the case … We had a long discussion about how, at the end of the process, if nothing happens then something else would have to happen."

The syntax is characteristically tangled, but the meaning is clear – Blair had pledged to go to war with or without UN backing. This was made explicit in the account Bush gave to the American journalist Bob Woodward for his book Plan of Attack. Woodwood wrote:

"Bush looked Blair in the eye[...] Bush recalled that he was 'probing' and 'pushing' the prime minister. He said it might require – would probably entail – war. Blair might have to send British troops. 'I'm with you,' the prime minister replied, looking Bush back in the eye, pledging flat out to commit British military force if necessary, the critical promise Bush had been seeking."

Bush was in no doubt of the significance of the conversation. Walking up to Alastair Campbell afterwards he said: "Your man's got cojones". Thereafter the Americans always referred to Camp David as "the cojones summit". Continued

Revealed: Tony Blair's battle with law chief after warning Iraq war would be illegal

1st July 2010 Tony Blair’s fury at being told the Iraq War was illegal was laid bare yesterday after secret memos from his Attorney General were finally published.

In an unprecedented move, the Chilcot Inquiry into the conflict published Lord Goldsmith’s warnings to the then Prime Minister, the first time a government has ever declassified legal advice to ministers.

They detail how time and again the Attorney General told Mr Blair he risked taking the UK into an unlawful war – and the Prime Minister’s irritation and refusal to accept that fact.

In one damning letter to Mr Blair dated January 30, 2003 – less than two months before the invasion – Lord Goldsmith told him that UN resolution 1441, on which the government came to rely, ‘does not authorise the use of military force’.

Mr Blair scrawled in the margin of the letter: ‘I just don’t understand this.’

The same document exposes the huge irritation in Downing Street at the Attorney General’s reluctance to give the green light for an invasion. Continued