Analysis : Under Pressure From the Prime Minister, Attorney General Peter Goldsmith Sacrificed Caveats for Certainty in His Advice Over the Legality of War in Iraq. ; and the Role of a Law Professor Who Backed the Government's Reading of Un Resolutions On the Use of Force Remains Clouded. But One Thing Is Certain: President Bush Wanted to Declare War and Tony Blair Wanted to Back the Us Decision. Goldsmith Now Says the Invasion of Iraq and Removal of Saddam Hussein Was Legal. We Are Left Asking . . .Are You Positive?

Sunday Herald › May 03, 2005

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Summary

IT was the middle of March 2003 and the attorney general Peter Goldsmith was under severe pressure. A crucial midAtlantic summit to be held in a matter of days would almost certainly see the US and Britain formally declare war on Iraq . . . Goldsmith had to come up with a definitive view on whether the war would be legal.

When he delivered his initial 13-page report - on March 7 - it was far from the clear ruling his political masters needed: it was strewn with caveats, balanced by competing arguments, but devoid of an authoritative legal conclusion.

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Analysis : Under Pressure From the Prime Minister, Attorney General Peter Goldsmith Sacrificed Caveats for Certainty in His Advice Over the Legality of War in Iraq. ; and the Role of a Law Professor Who Backed the Government's Reading of Un Resolutions On the Use of Force Remains Clouded. But One Thing Is Certain: President Bush Wanted to Declare War and Tony Blair Wanted to Back the Us Decision. Goldsmith Now Says the Invasion of Iraq and Removal of Saddam Hussein Was Legal. We Are Left Asking . . .Are You Positive?

Just 10 days later, all that had changed. It was drastically slimmed down to a one-page summary, which was delivered to Cabinet members on March 17 with Goldsmith sitting in Robin Cook's vacated cabinet chair. Nobody was allowed to question the attorney general.

His message now was crystal clear. He said with conviction that the war was legal. The crucial question now hanging over a general election in which Iraq has become the dominant issue is: what made him change his mind?

To get close to an answer it's important to understand the ...

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