Revealed: what Bush and Blair said in that phone call

Another flurry in the anti-war dovecot over the suggestion that Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, might exercise the Government’s veto over the publication of a partial transcript of the telephone conversation between George Bush and Tony Blair on 12 March 2003, eight days before the invasion of Iraq.

This is now a big deal to the dwindling number of conspiracy theorists still seeking the hidden “real” reason why the UK joined the US in military action. Respect, therefore, to Andrew Mason at the Iraq Inquiry Digest, for obtaining and publishing on the internet the secret note of that phone call.

As he points out, there is a detailed account of the call in the fourth volume of Alastair Campbell’s diaries, Burden of Power:

Bush said when do you anticipate a vote? TB said we had pencilled in next Tuesday. Bush: “Erm.” Long pause. TB: “You want to go on the Monday?” Correct. TB: “My military have given me formal advice re the full moon.” It’s not a problem, said Bush. “What – are they taking away the Moon?” TB said he would have to check it out. There was a clear tension between Bush wanting sooner and TB wanting later.

I do like the bit where Tony Blair wonders aloud whether the Pentagon has developed a Doctor-Who-type device for moving the Moon.

TB said there was a danger the Tories would see this as their chance to get rid of him … Bush said they would make it clear to the Tories that if they moved to get rid of TB “we will get rid of them”. He said he wouldn’t speak to “Iain Duncan Baker” himself – TB didn’t correct him – “but he’ll know my message”.

Anyway, I have explained before why Grieve would be right to insist that the very partial transcript should remain confidential, and why, if it were published, it would probably contain much less information than Campbell’s account and thus set the antis off on a further goose chase about secrets being withheld.

Photograph: Getty Images

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• http://www.facebook.com/people/Fraser-Drummond/534086702 Fraser Drummond

  except they didnt, because blair felt he couldnt trust his own cabinet

• Toocleverbyhalf

  Matthew Norman is a self-confessed “crazily obsessive student” of Tony Blair’s works and as such best not taken seriously. It’s good of the Indy to provide an outlet for the poor chap’s little rants.

• Tribeless

  Journalist? Oh, you mean travels from his chair to his desktop computer. Hmm, probably has an iPad… Does this make him a Paderist?

• http://twitter.com/JohnRentoul John Rentoul

  I have explained. Please read the post linked to at “explained before”.

• Jake_K

  I applaud your concern for hidden agendas and bias.

  Perhaps you would like to enlighten us as to what Rentoul does at Queen Mary’s? The name of the course he invented and teaches perhaps?

  Of course, I would hesitate before ever insinuating that Rentoul’s obsequious sycophancy has anything to do with the income or exposure he receives from such gainful and socially useful employment….

• UncleAxel

  This is the last time I will bother to read one of Rentoul’s poorly researched propaganda pieces. In lieu of writing skills, or political knowledge, he simply creates a niche for himself by defending the indefensible.

• porkfright

  One: It’s an anti-war barracks, not a dovecot.
  Two: Doesn’t this constant vetoing of stuff which voters and taxpayers should be told remind you of the old East Germany ? We pay these persons [I use the term advisedly] wages.