British Iraq War Inquiry

How is it that a country that was the largest Empire ever known, that still has a MONARCH, consistently puts our "world's oldest democracy" to shame on democratic standards over and over again?

The largest protest in world history, one million people showed up in London BEFORE the Iraq War began. This was the first time in world history that a war was protested BEFORE it actually began. Even in the unpopular Vietnam War, protests did not begin until the war was several years old. Furthermore, right until the end, only a minority of the population actually opposed our involvement in Vietnam at that time.

Legally, the legal right to take the U.K. into war lies soley with the crown. However, as a part of their "Oral Constitution" which means it's not written down and determined by precedence, the Crown then defers this right to the Prime Minister. As a result. NO legislative power determines the right to go to war. This ended up happening in the U.S. as well, despite our Constitution. My congresswoman at the time Barbara Lee was the SINGLE "no" vote on the abdication of congressional legal authority on the matter of war.

The British Ambassador to the U.S. 1997-2003 Christopher Meyer, author of "DC Confidential" was questioned about how the U.K. came to enter the Iraq War.

He points out the incredible hubris of the Bush Administration.

"British Committee of Inquiry into Iraq War"

First broadcast on c-span 11/26/09