Blair says public desires Iraq ‘conspiracy’

By Alex Barker

Published: February 8 2010 21:09 | Last updated: February 8 2010 21:09

The Iraq war inquiry is humouring the desire of the British public to “uncover some great conspiracy”, Tony Blair said on Monday, as the inquiry confirmed that it might recall him to testify.

The former prime minister’s comments on the “curious habit” of looking for some “great deceit” came as Jack Straw, the former foreign secretary, defended his decision to reject the arguments of his department’s legal experts over the basis for war.

In his second appearance as a witness, Mr Straw nevertheless admitted that a more “formal” process for cabinet consultation on the legal arguments would have increased the “legitimacy” of the invasion.

Mr Straw testified amid growing signs of frustration among Mr Blair and his allies over the inquiry, which is the fourth to be held over the Iraq conflict.

In an interview broadcast on Fox News, Mike Huckabee, the former US presidential candidate, asked Mr Blair why there had been so many inquiries in Britain “that haven’t really mined any new ground”.

Mr Blair replied that it was “partly because we have this curious habit” where “people find it hard to come to the point where they say we disagree – you’re a reasonable person, I’m a reasonable person, but we disagree”.

He added: “So I think there’s continual desire to sort of uncover some great conspiracy when actually there’s a decision at the heart of it – but there it is.”

Mr Blair’s comments came on the day that Sir John Chilcot, who chairs the inquiry, wrapped up the first round of public hearings. While highlighting their importance, he stressed that tens of thousands of government documents made up the bulk of the evidence and would allow them to “shine a bright light into seldom-seen corners of the government”.

In the next round of evidence, he said, witnesses would be called to give evidence based on “gaps” or discrepancies in the testimony taken so far, raising the prospect of Mr Blair making a second appearance. The committee might also hold private meetings with former US officials.

Earlier in the day, Mr Straw delivered some of the most candid criticisms of the Bush administration by a serving minister, telling the inquiry that “lumping” Iran together with “axis of evil” nations was a “profound mistake”. He added that the negotiations over the Iraq war would have been much easier had neoconservatives been sent “on a long holiday without a telephone”.

During three hours of questions, Mr Straw insisted that he took “great care” to study advice, arguing that an invasion of Iraq without a second UN resolution would be a “crime of aggression”. But he conceded that it would have been better if the legal advice of Lord Goldsmith, then the attorney-general, had been given earlier and a cabinet committee had been established to monitor the legal issues. “If we had a more formal process, would that have made it more legitimate? The answer is yes.”

It's Imperative We Change Our Culture to One of Health for Our Kids

Monday, February 08, 2010
By Mike Huckabee

For Republicans like me, whose political point of view is unapologetically right of center, it's easy to find ways to disagree with the current administration, but it's not helpful to our country's future to automatically and robotically speak against everything the other party does.

Brace yourselves, because I want to ask all Americans to join together in a fight for our nation's children. It's an issue that I believe is not, as I often say, a "horizontal issue" of left and right, but a vertical issue of up and down. It's about the alarming and very dangerous epidemic of obesity in our nation's children.

This week, first lady Michelle Obama is expected to launch a major national initiative to try and combat childhood obesity. She will ask Democrats and Republicans to lock arms instead of lock horns and recognize that the health, economic stability and even security of our nation are tied to our addressing this issue.

I do not believe in a nanny state that dictates what or how much we eat. I do not favor the government becoming the grease police or sugar sheriff to control our behavior. But I do believe that it's imperative that we partner together as parents and citizens to change our culture of chronic disease to a culture of health.

The first lady is taking a lead role to bring evidence-based solutions to addressing a much greater risk to our kids than even the national debt, and you know I feel that the ridiculous spending and borrowing of our government is a threat to our future.

A generation ago, five percent of military age youth couldn't pass the physical requirements; today over 27 percent can't meet the bare minimum of physical requirements due to obesity. At this rate, who will even be able to serve and save our country?

An obese child is a likely candidate for developing type 2 diabetes even as young as a pre-teen. A pre-teen with an adult disease of type 2 diabetes will have vision problems in his 20's, have a heart attack before he's 30, be in full renal failure and on dialysis by age 40, and be dead by age 50. Unless the trends are reversed, a child born today will actually have a lower life expectancy than his or her parents or grandparents—the first time in our nation's history this is true.

The first lady wisely understands this issue can't be resolved in an election cycle; it will take a generation, and it's not about government, but we the people. I'll find plenty of ways to take issue with this administration, but it's wrong and it lacks any creativity or sense of honesty to only find the areas of disagreement and never be able to find common ground.

On the issue of combating the deteriorating health of our kids, I applaud anyone and everyone who is willing to say "enough." And today, I commend the president, and specifically the first lady for seeking to do something about it.

That's my view, I welcome yours. E-mail your comments to: huckmail@foxnews.com