How
Blair joined Bush's Iraq 'crusade'
London:
A documentary drama produced by a British TV channel,
to be screened on Monday, has revealed how British Prime
Minister Tony Blair yielded to US President George Bush's
wish that the UK should join its "war on terror" soon after
the 9/11 air attacks on the US' twin towers of World Trade
Centre. According to it, Bush told Blair that first he would
invade Afghanistan (to catch al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden),
then Iraq, and lastly North Korea or Iran, The Mirror reported.
It projects how Blair gave a blind eye to the popular opinion
in UK against joining US' war on terror, and decided to
join hands with Bush. It provides the most in-depth and
"accurate" account of the private conversations between
President Bush and Blair, and features newsreel film of
the 9/11 attacks and real footage of all the main speeches
that followed the Twin Towers atrocity that killed more
than 2,000. According to the paper, the 90-minute documentary
"Why We Went To War", based on information collected from
"impeccable sources", includes look-alike characters depicting
Bush, Blair, ex-British secretaries Robin Cook and Clare
Short, both of whom later resigned as a mark of protest
against Blair joining the war, Blair's former Media Chief,
and many more surrounding Blair in 10 Downing Street.
The
film has been produced at an estimated cost of three million
pounds. The opening scene in the sensational docu-drama
is 9/11 2001 when Tony Blair and his spin doctor Campbell
are gazing at a TV newsflash in disbelief about the air
attacks. As the second plane smashes into the Twin Towers,
Campbell curses. "F***, I don't think there's any doubt
now - clear the lines to America." The documentary shows
Cook and Short telling Blair about their fears if he joined
the US coalition. At one stage, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
tells Blair in a memo: "There are not many in the Parliamentary
Labour Party who are for military action. The big question
I have to ask is, what will it achieve?" Citing European
sceptics who had refused to join the coalition, Straw tells
Blair that the problem with "regime change in Iraq is we
will be swapping one dictator for another."
In another scene, while referring to the fact he had already
decided to invade Iraq, the actress-playing Short tells
Blair: "I just have this constant nagging worry..." The
film shows the splits tearing apart New Labour after Blair
vows in New York to stand by America - whatever course of
action Bush wants to take. At one stage, an embarrassed
Cabinet and Campbell together watch one million anti-war
marchers trail past Westminster. Campbell then turns to
Blair and declares angrily: "Just look at what's going on
out there for Christ's sake. It's getting bloody dangerous
for you. There are a million people on the streets protesting.
That means, what, there are 20 million people against you?
There's hardly anyone left who believes you are doing the
right thing. You are not winning any of the arguments in
the right places."
Blair
looks down at the whistling and screaming throng of protesters
and admits: "Yes, I know. A lot of our friends are out there.
But I am not just doing this out of perversity. We must
not be held to ransom. I cannot know what I know about Saddam
and do nothing. That is just not an option." According to
the report, Cook asks why UK had to do it now and points
out: "There is no greater threat from Iraq now than there
was 12 years ago. Sixty of our own MPs have signed a motion
objecting to war in Iraq."