Prime Minister Tony Blair, undaunted by critics but briefly silenced by shouting protesters in the House of Commons, said Wednesday he was proud of his decision to go to war in Iraq, even though weapons inspectors have found less than he expected.
While a new inquiry will examine the prewar intelligence, Blair said only lawmakers and the British people can pass judgment on whether he was right.
“To attempt to subcontract this issue to some committee as to whether it was right or wrong to go to war is not merely wrong,” he said, “ultimately, it is profoundly undemocratic.”
At a Commons debate interrupted by heckling, Blair said inspection teams had turned up evidence showing Saddam Hussein’s “total, unrepentant, malignant intent” and his violation of UN resolutions–enough to justify the U.S.-led invasion.
Blair announced an inquiry Tuesday into the quality of prewar intelligence.
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Compiled from RedEye news services and edited by Lara Weber (lweber@tribune.com) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)
