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Thursday, July 15, 2004
Overstating war case is not lying
Occasionally, it's helpful to challenge our own preconceived notions. Sometimes, that's easier when a new perspective comes from far away.
Britain's report on prewar intelligence draws conclusions that have bearing on Americans' own discussions about the invasion of Iraq.
Yesterday's report from a commission headed by Lord Butler, retired civil service chief, concluded that British intelligence on Iraqi weapons was faulty and had been presented to the public with inadequate qualifications, but Tony Blair's government was absolved of dishonesty. Former President Clinton asked British Broadcasting Corp. radio listeners to remember that "it was very difficult in the aftermath of 9/11 for any world leader not to act on his intelligence."
We continue to view the invasion of Iraq as unjustified, just as we did before the war. But it is important to acknowledge the difficulties faced by policy-makers in this country, as well as abroad, in deciding how to deal with former dictator Saddam Hussein's regime.
As the Butler report finds, mistaken intelligence is not evidence of willful deceit. The report acknowledges that intelligence staff may have been affected by the political climate favoring war. But the report said, "We should record in particular that we have found no evidence of deliberate distortion or of culpable negligence."
Blair took responsibility, as he should. His government overstated the intelligence case, oversaw intelligence agencies whose work went awry under pressure for hurried conclusions and failed to spot the holes in what it was being told. But he was able to say, "Everyone genuinely tried to do their best in good faith for the country in circumstances of acute difficulty."
In this country, we sometimes forget that leaders with whom we disagree can still be acting conscientiously, according to their own best beliefs. The British report, with its many parallels to questions facing Americans, should help restore a better sense of perspective here.
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