As he sits down to celebrate turning 70, a comprehensive picking over of his part in the Iraq war is probably the last thing President George W Bush is hoping for.
Nonetheless, that is exactly the birthday present Bush will receive from the British government, which is publishing the so-called Chilcot report into the Iraq conflict on July 6.
Heard Chilcot will have a surprise release of his report on Tidal before its available elsewhere
— Alan White (@aljwhite) May 9, 2016
The report, named after chairman Sir John Chilcot, was commissioned seven years ago and is expected to criticize the former President.
The tome is an estimated 2.6 million words in length – almost 1 million words more than the combined length of the complete works of Shakespeare (884,421 words) and the Bible (807,361).
Apparently if you stay past the end credits of the Chilcot report, there's a teaser for the next war.
— Sinister Farce (@twlldun) May 9, 2016
It has been plagued by endless delays since being commissioned by former PM Gordon Brown in 2009.
It has been so long in the making that Sir Martin Gilbert, one of the five-strong inquiry committee panel, died more than a year before it was finished.
Our cartoon at noon #cartoonatnoon https://t.co/3udz5AIhbZ pic.twitter.com/V7yaxIkATS
— The Spectator (@spectator) September 10, 2015
The renowned historian supported the invasion of Iraq and believed Bush and Blair “may one day join the ranks of Roosevelt and Churchill.”
Of the remaining four panel members, three – Baroness Prashar, Sir Lawrence Freedman and Sir Roderic Lyne – were born in 1948.
This means that in the eyes of the state they have become old age pensioners since the inquiry began.
Happy Birthday, Mr President.
