“[I]ntelligence-gathering, like reporting, is an imperfect business”.
After years of hide and seek with Saddam Hussein one might have some sympathy with intelligence services that may have made mistakes about WMD, particularly when interpretations of findings would naturally filter, like a game of telephone, to reflect what governments wanted to hear, as documents moved up the food chain.
Sympathy for intelligence gatherers and reporters alike might also be needed for the usually bullet proof Bair. Just when he was riding high on the outcome of the Hutton report and a critical government vote, came the bolt. Blair’s accidental betrayal came from his main ally over WMD