HOWARD KURTZ?

Criticism of Blair Over Iraq Reaches a Roar: Britons Skeptical of Claims Iraq Hiding Weapons of Mass Destruction (Howard Kurtz, June 4, 2003, Washington Post)

Tony Blair failed today to quiet the roar of criticism over his insistence that Iraq is hiding weapons of mass destruction, with the opposition leader declaring that "nobody believes a word now that the prime minister is saying."

In a raucous House of Commons session punctuated by both catcalls and cheers, Blair passionately defended his prewar claims that Saddam Hussein had been hiding a dangerous arsenal, calling charges that his Labor government cooked the intelligence books "completely and totally untrue."

Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative Party leader, accused Blair of "equivocating" and argued that "the whole credibility of his government rests on clearing up these charges." Smith also launched a new line of attack, dismissing as "disgraceful" claims by senior Labor Party officials to the Times of London that "rogue elements" in the intelligence services were using "skullduggery" to cast doubt on Blair's case for war against Iraq.

Blair has been under fierce pressure here in recent days, in part from members of his own party, since fresh doubts surfaced about his case that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction. More than 70 Labor members in the House of Commons have signed a petition demanding that Blair publish his evidence, with one, Malcolm Savidge, calling the issue "potentially more serious than Watergate." A key Commons committee, brushing aside Blair's objections, approved an investigation late Tuesday.

In a very real sense, the war over Iraq is still being fought here, in marked contrast to the United States, where neither political party has used the failure to find dangerous weapons as a major issue against President Bush.

Fueled by hostile press coverage -- the Sunday Mirror, for example, has denounced Blair's earlier claims on Iraq as "rubbish" -- the charges seem to have struck a deep chord in Britain, where Blair struggled far more than Bush to galvanize support for the war. A poll published in the Daily Telegraph says 44 percent of the public here feels misled on the weapons issue.

In the packed, high-ceilinged Commons chamber, Blair dismissed the criticism as politically motivated, recalling that some critics had predicted that Iraq "was going to be my Vietnam," with hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed.

"Some people resent the fact that it was right to go to conflict. . . . Iraq is now free and we should be proud of that," Blair said.

The Tories should be ashamed of themselves. Impugning your own nation's honor is no way for a conservative party to try to return to power. Unfortunately, Mr. Blair is more conservative than they. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 4, 2003 3:36 PM