Downing Street II has arrived

The Guardian has released the story of a January 2003 meeting between Bush and Blair where the complete lack of WMD evidence in Iraq is discussed and Bush claims it doesn't matter. (Watch Video of Report from Channel 4)

Tony Blair and George Bush at a press conference in the White House on January 31 2003. Photograph: Shawn Thew/AFP

Tony Blair told President George Bush that he was "solidly" behind US plans to invade Iraq before he sought advice about the invasion's legality and despite the absence of a second UN resolution, according to a new account of the build-up to the war published today.

A memo of a two-hour meeting between the two leaders at the White House on January 31 2003 - nearly two months before the invasion - reveals that Mr Bush made it clear the US intended to invade whether or not there was a second UN resolution and even if UN inspectors found no evidence of a banned Iraqi weapons programme.

"The diplomatic strategy had to be arranged around the military planning", the president told Mr Blair. The prime minister is said to have raised no objection. He is quoted as saying he was "solidly with the president and ready to do whatever it took to disarm Saddam".

At this point in time, UN Resolution 1441 had been passed and weapons inspectors had returned to Iraq and found nothing. The minutes from this meeting indicate that Bush didn't care, and Blaire backed him up. So when in doubt of an actual crime, Bush decided to do just what a real American heros like John McClaine (Die Hard) or Wyle E. Coyote might do -- set a trap for the bastard.

· Mr Bush told Mr Blair that the US was so worried about the failure to find hard evidence against Saddam that it thought of "flying U2 reconnaissance aircraft planes with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours". Mr Bush added: "If Saddam fired on them, he would be in breach [of UN resolutions]".

Unfortunately, Saddam didn't fall for the old "tunnel panted on the side of a moutain" trick.

· Mr Bush even expressed the hope that a defector would be extracted from Iraq and give a "public presentation about Saddam's WMD".

You mean a defector like "Curveball"? Who just happens to be batshit crazy?

He is also said to have referred Mr Blair to a "small possibility" that Saddam would be "assassinated".

Ok, never mind the tunnel painting, let's just go for the big rock on a rope and wait for Saddam to walk under it. [Never mind the fact that assasinations are illegal]

· Mr Blair told the US president that a second UN resolution would be an "insurance policy", providing "international cover, including with the Arabs" if anything went wrong with the military campaign, or if Saddam increased the stakes by burning oil wells, killing children, or fomenting internal divisions within Iraq.

When at first you don't succeed - try, try and forget about it. Ultimately the U.S. and British efforts at a second resolution failed miserably. Blocked by Russia, France, China and Germany - (and "Curveball" our one trusted source on Iraq WMD was being held by the Germans). Bush and Blair simply ignored them all and went to war anyway.

· Mr Bush told the prime minister that he "thought it unlikely that there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups". Mr Blair did not demur, according to the book.

Yep, just another example of Bush not knowing what the hell he's talking about. This in a way, isn't really news. Bush has said that even if he'd known there were no WMD's he still would have gone to War to remove Saddam.

Wait - "If"? There is no "If" in this scenario, it's clear that Bush knew that the inspectors had found nothing, and just might continue to do so. He considered setting a trap for Saddam, not only considered assasinating him - he actually tried to kill him with all those "Decapitation Strikes" during the Shock and Awe phase of the campaign.

The point here is that all of this completely contradicts the President Public Statements at the time. January 31 Press Conference with Tony Blair

Q Thank you, sir. Mr. President, is Secretary Powell going to provide the undeniable proof of Iraq's guilt that so many critics are calling for?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, all due in modesty, I thought I did a pretty good job myself of making it clear that he's not disarming and why he should disarm. Secretary Powell will make a strong case about the danger of an armed Saddam Hussein. He will make it clear that Saddam Hussein is fooling the world, or trying to fool the world. He will make it clear that Saddam is a menace to peace in his own neighborhood. He will also talk about al Qaeda links, links that really do portend a danger for America and for Great Britain, anybody else who loves freedom.

Think Progress has the wrap up which shows that long after Bush had decided to go to war, he repeated lied to the American public about.

I’ve not made up our mind about military action. Hopefully, this can be done peacefully. [3/6/03]

We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq. But if Saddam Hussein does not disarm peacefully, he will be disarmed by force. [3/8/03]

Should Saddam Hussein choose confrontation, the American people can know that every measure has been taken to avoid war, and every measure will be taken to win it. [3/17/03]

Three years later it's seem perfecly obvious that the person fooling the world, wasn't Saddam - it was Bush and Blair. On March 19th, 2003 - the Iraq War began.

Vyan