Brit War Chief: We Underestimated Cheney

Says VP Had More Influence On Bush Than U.K. Thought; Despite Bad Planning, Defends Going To War

(CBS/AP)  Britain's defense secretary during the Iraq war says U.K. officials underestimated the influence of Vice President Dick Cheney in White House decision making, and the coalition failed to anticipate the bloody aftermath of the war, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

But Geoff Hoon, who was defense secretary in Prime Minister Tony Blair's government from 1999 until 2005, said intelligence officials had believed that Saddam Hussein was amassing weapons of mass destruction and that the allies did not lie about why they went to war.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, Hoon said that "we didn't plan for the right sort of aftermath."

"Maybe we were too optimistic about the idea of the streets being lined with cheering people. Although I have reconciled it in my own mind, we perhaps didn't do enough to see it through the Sunni perspective. Perhaps we should have done more to understand their position," Hoon was quoted as saying.

Hoon said the British side had not comprehended Cheney's influence in the U.S. administration.

Even when Blair and President Bush had agreed on some matter, "sometimes... the decision actually came out of a completely different place."

"And you think: what did we miss? I think we missed Cheney," Hoon was quoted as saying.

He did not cite any examples of decisions apparently reversed by Cheney.

Hoon, who is now minister for Europe in the Foreign Office, said Britain had opposed the wholesale dismissal of Iraq's army and police forces.

"We certainly argued against," Hoon was quoted as saying. "I recall having discussions with Donald Rumsfeld, but I recognized that it was one of those judgment calls. I would have called it the other way. His argument was that the Iraqi army was so heavily politicized that we couldn't be sure that we would not retain within it large elements of Saddam's people."

However, Hoon defended the decision to go to war on the basis of intelligence that believed Iraq was building up an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction — intelligence he now accepts was wrong.

"I've been present at a number of meetings where the intelligence community was fixed, and looked in the eye and asked are you absolutely sure about this? And the answer came back 'Yes, absolutely sure,"' Hoon was quoted as saying.

"I saw intelligence from the first time I came into office, in May 1999 — week in, week out — that said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction ... I have real difficulty in understanding why it was, over such a long period of time, we were told this and, moreover, why we acted upon it," he was quoted as saying.

"Whatever else I did, even if people say it was catastrophically wrong, I wouldn't agree with it, but I could live with it," he added. "But I can't live with the idea that I was telling lies, because I wasn't."

Hoon said he felt no need to apologize.

"You can say 'it did not turn out as we expected' and 'we made some bad calls,' but at the end of the day I defy anyone to go through what we went through and come to a different conclusion," he was quoted as saying.

The public, Hoon said, was not interested in perceptions in 2003 or subtle arguments over intelligence or policy.

"I think, especially when British soldiers are being killed, that the public have got to be pretty confident as to why. I think they're not any longer confident, and want us out of Iraq. That's why Tony gets the blame," Hoon said.

[f10561056]

Chenny and hid oil friends control this great county of america and its puppet president Bush - just go to your local gas station - wake up AMERICA.

[andrew_693]

yeah, thats why they are leaving the US alone in Iraq very soon, as the US increases their soldiers the brits are packing and leaving. That's why 80 % of britons don't support Bliar and your war.

[tbweb]

Great Britain is a steady and reliable U.S. ally and for better or worst they both support each other and will always find a way to do so.

[johngorrind]

In response to Chilean analysis: Just substitute Hitler for Pinochet. Would you still support a totalitarian take over if the historical figure were changed? Is one tyrant any better than the next?

Look at Germany in 1932- a basket case! (with slight revisions)- "Look at what happened after the arrival of the "tyrant"... Stability, economic resurgence never before seen in Germany, high standard of living, huge economic surplus, near-zero foreign debt (how are doing on that one), etc. Sure, 50 million dead is a horrendous thing, but how many have we killed so far in Iraq with nothing to show for it?"

Are you saying that loss of life is acceptable if there is "something to show for it?" You certainly are sanguine concerning the taking of human lives. What if that life were your own; or belonged to someone in your family? That is the litmus test you probably haven't applied. Hitler, Pinochet, or most American presidents would have certainly reserved a place for people with such a mentality in their administrations.

[strunke]

Exactly. People that think it was all a lie just because they wanted to goto war are idiots, plain and simple. The intelligence was there, no lies were told. This is the bottom line, if you believe other wise you are wrong and need to stop with the delusions.

[taylpatr]

All one has to do is look in Cheney's eyes and you're looking into pure evil.Go to Wyoming and ask the people of his home state what they think of him. I've spent alot of time working there and never once heard anything good said about the man.I think that from now on, political hopefuls should be subject to background and urine tests and tests of history, politics, geography, math and common sense.That way, people like Cheney and W. never would have gotten into the positions they have. W. would blow out on geography and common sense. Cheney would blow the **** test and the background check.

[frankbowers]

The thing that many have and still do not remember is *** cheney was sect of defense (signor of all discharges from the military)when gw bush was a deserter and his discharge would have had been signed by none other than *** cheney. so as the story goes he gw bush must now kiss cheney's a** or he will be outed as a deserter. kay b. hutchinsen knew his at the time and knew the same fact why they protect him now is so they can continue to reign in powers they do not deserve. the best of good byes frank bowers in austin, tx

[SamThornton]

Shows how easy it is to be prescient in hindsight. How reassuring to know other countries also elevate ignorant boobs to positions of power. If the human race is not doomed to extinction, it certainly won't be the fault of any of the bozos in charge in Washington and London.

[shedhouserob-2009]

this is just shows you who runs the white house- Corporate Cheney. His stooge- Georgie takes all the flak- you can't but help like the dumb bell, he takes all the heat while the real head of state Cheney lines his pockets at the expense of the lives of American soldiers and Irag's population. He tells anybody that disagrees with him to go f#uck themselves, shoot his hunting partners and tells the public, hey I'm the vice president, tough sh#t. His corporation is raking in huge profits, and making Corporate Cheney a billionaire by the time he leaves office. Impeach this worm not good old George. George can be controlled. (Ask Cheney)

[finewoven]

For the record, I am in favor of keeping troops in Iraq. But I am also in favor of an intensive campaign to get the people in Iraq to side with peaceful means of building their society through a sense of community. This may come through Islam, if the leaders that promote peace are teaching their adherents those ways. If Islam practices seek to prevent or limit women%u2019s participation, disallow the consumption of alcohol, prevent the application of interest in loans, forbid dogs or some other animals, and at the extreme%u2014kill every infidel; then what is to be done but respond with isolationist laws to remove them from our society.

But look at Rwanda, or the Congo, or Sudan, or Ethiopia, or Bosnia, or even Nazi Germany. People make up their own reasons for mass murder. The Spanish Inquisition gave Jews two options, conversion or death. It%u2019s all senseless, except for those who profit.

[finewoven]

And when you liberal dems. wimps get your way and we pull out You'll be right back on board when we loose another 3000 in one suicide bomb in Times square.
Posted by superchez1 at 01:13 PM : May 02, 2007

Political affiliations aside, if you realize that Sadaam was put in place by the U.S, then we are to blame for the 2.5 million deaths. If the U.S was really upset about 9/11, it would have launched missiles against Saudi Arabia or Jordan, because those were the original source countries of those enemy combatants. Your flippant view that Democrats are to blame if we bring our troops home shows me what a dumb f*ck you are, thinking that the immediate result would be the blowing up Times Square.

[pensacola8-2009]

Don't any of you recall the name Richard V. Secord? He was the arms broker that popped up in the Oliver North hearings for the Iran-Contra affair. He was an opportunist, ex-General, who retired and became an arms broker. His clients were Sadaam Hussien and Osama Bin Laden. Sadaam helped us fight the Iranians, and Osama Bin Laden helped us fight the Russians in Afganistan. This was the best evidence that existed about WMD, because we knew and approved their purcahse. No law was broken. Today, the circumstances are different. We approved arms purchases by customers who turned out to be disloyal to the United States and her allies. The link between Afganistan and Iraq was in those arms purchases that the USA approved 20 years ago. We were still fighting the Cold War then, and didn't know how reliable our alliances were. Other friends turned villan are General Pinochet - Chile and Manuel Noriega - Panama. Anybody who promised us they would resist and repel communism was approved to purchase weapons in those years.

[barryconnoll]

Let's stick to the facts which are important. Iraq was invaded under false pretenses and hundreds of thousands died. If this was any other country other than America UN sanctions and a possible trade embargo would have been called for. I personbally think this should have happened so my tax dollars aren't used for slaughter in the future. There was concrete evidence that Saddam Hussein didn't possess WMD but this White House wanted the war from September 12 (and before that)

[barryconnoll]

Your figures are way off as is your rationale for invading another country. It's easy if you havent grown up with war on your own soil to support it elsewhere. If ever a war was unjustified this is it. If you can't see that or the hateful messianic nonesense coming from the religious right here at home nobody will convince you. Muslims are decent people too who have been invaded and terrorized by the west for centuries. The terrorism in the Middle East is a result of centuries of injustice. Americans for the most part seem oblivious to their duplicity in the region, and that is a major issue. But hey, we got their oil, right?

[barryconnoll]

"Take a stand on the War against Islam" Whoa, you really are showing your true bigotted opinions now. We invaded them. Get it right.

[barryconnoll]

This kind of partisan nonesense helps nobody. Iraq is in utter turmoil with violence and carnage. Standing up for this as you sit safely in America illustrates how blind you are to the reality. The war was waged under false pretenses and is an unholy disaster. Americas actions this time have been an utter disgrace.

[barryconnoll]

Why does the media allow these politicians to get away with the excuse that they honestly thought Saddam had weapons of mass destruction? Scott Ritter, the former head of the UNSCUM inspection team (a former marine) repeatedly warned that no weapons existed. That any claim to the contrary was false. Hundreds of thousands have died because of these murderous actions, and trillions of needed dollars wasted. Vote carefully, something americans are learning slowly.

[drinuk]

Having read these pages for months the continuing criticism of Bush and Cheney grow ever more damming as the days pass. At the same time the Blair Gang in Britian suffer equally bitter attacks yet where are we ? What the hell are we doing about these crooks and liars, like someone said earlier they should be put on trial as a deterant to those who may follow. These evil self interest cretins became politicians to enhance their wealth, as did the rest of them in government. Life for ordinary working folks will not improve until we have people working for us who do actually work for us. The time is Now! to make an example of the cheats and crooks, I don't want to be reading all this over and over for another year.

[dallison7]

As for Bush being run by Cheney, the Brits should have figured that one out. Bush can't tie his shoes without help. If not for his Dad, he would have been bounced out of politics ages ago.
Posted by clestes


If not for his Dad, all of his speeches would end with "WANT FRIES WITH THAT?"

[dubby12]

IT IS FAR TOO LATE FOR ANY OF THIS! We have been lied to about all of this all along and all of you war mongers and haters of other cultures loved it! H _ _ L yes Cheney, Rumsfield, Bush all lied and deceived the "free" world! If they were regular citizens they would most likely have been incarcerated-WHICH IS STILL NOT A BAD IDEA.