March 2002
Downing Street memos: “I said [to Condoleezza Rice] you [Blair] would not budge in your support for regime change but you had to manage a press, a Parliament and a public opinion that was very different than anything in the States.”
“On Iraq I opened by sticking very closely to the script that you used with Condi Rice last week. We backed regime change, but the plan had to be clever and failure was not an option.”
November 2002
Tony Blair, in a public interview: “So far as our objective, it is disarmament, not regime change – that is our objective.”
February 2003
Tony Blair, in the House of Commons: “we are offering Saddam the prospect of voluntary disarmament through the UN. I detest his regime – I hope most people do – but even now, he could save it by complying with the UN’s demand. Even now, we are prepared to go the extra step to achieve disarmament peacefully.”
Poor old Mr. Blair having to “manage” the press, Parliment and a public opinion. Manage: (Verb) “achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods”.