Well, here’s what the BBC thinks was key as regards the Butler report, issued this morning. I post it only because it’s the first up… I’ll find better was we go along.
My initial reation to Lord Buter’s report delivery this morning (which was on C-Cpan and on the BBC feed as well) involved several perceptions:
Here is an exacting man who clearly has a history in dealing with legal questions.
The press questioning him lost on both counts. The press seemed to me amost rabidly out for blood, and several reporters, that for CNN and Channel 4 and the Telegraph, particularly, seemed very hard pressed to accept the report, seeking rather to push the idea that the governments of both the UK and of the US, had tried to push a position not supported by the facts as then known.
The reaction of the press to the report reminded one of an errant dog, being struck on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper. Compliant, but obviously not happy about it, and still looking for a way to get up on the table to the food it thinks is there.
Example; one reporter repeatedly questioned Lord Butler on the idea that the report didn’t find anything wrong with the “Yellowcake from Niger” report, even though several other news agencies have reported that investigations into that situation had known of such sales for over 3 years.
I’ll toss up more links on the report as more come in; I expect the report to be some time in the digestion process; It’s rather large, (196 pages) and detailed.
I did tell the BBC by way of a feedback page, that:
“It amazes me how many people who are claiming that Blair and Bush either cherry picked or outright manufactured data to support their position on Iraq, are themselves cherry picking or manufacturing data to support their own position on Iraq….. with the added advantage of 20/20 hindsight…. and see nothing at all wrong with it.
And… what do you know… many of these are in the press…”
Tags: BitsBlog
