Read Online The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq - The Alastair Campbell Diaries by Campbell Alastair - Free Book Online
Authors: Campbell Alastair
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Musharraf, help Afghan people, new relations with Iran, support from Russia and Arabs. He set out too a number of things in the practical fight against terrorism – the disruption of groups from their travel. Extradition laws. He said we needed: 1. an integrated and streamlined military planning operation, binding in other allies too; 2. detailed work on the long-term agenda; 3. a well-staffed US–UK-led propaganda team, and 4. the political, military and media operations linked between us.
We landed in New York and though we had an escort, the combination of bad weather, dreadful traffic and continuing post-September 11 chaos meant that sadly we had to cancel the visit to a fire station. I was able to rescue it a bit when Clinton agreed to go instead of TB and take Cherie with him. TB was getting frantic because we were so late but we finally reached St Thomas’ Church and then a mild panic because there were suggestions that the reading, which had been suggested to me by Paddy Feeny [Tessa Jowell’s press officer], was not appropriate because it was about bereavement and some ofthe people there did not believe they had yet lost their loved ones. It suggested they were all emotionally shot to pieces. TB was in the front row with CB, Kofi Annan [United Nations Secretary General], Bill and Chelsea [Clinton]. TB’s reading 9 went fine as did the message read out by [UK ambassador Sir Christopher] Meyer from the Queen, including the brilliant line ‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’ Bill C asked me if I wrote it. I said I’d love to take credit, but no. He said find the guy who did, and hire him.
After the national anthems we had a brief meeting with Bill and Kofi who both warned of real dangers from Pakistan if we weren’t careful. Then we were taken up to the room where all the relatives were gathered. The contrast, the moment you entered the room, was palpable. We had been engaged in the normal diplomatic chat that goes on even in these circumstances, humour included, and now into this dreadful, dreadful atmosphere, haunted eyes, faces drained of blood, lips quivering. Most said it was all made worse by the fact they had no bodies to take home. Most carried pictures which they showed to TB and Bill as they moved through the room. Bill was absolutely terrific when he stood in for TB at the fire station. By now we were running really late and I felt terrible constantly reminding TB, but it was impossible to leave without him going round to speak to everyone. And they all just wanted to pour out their stories. These were in the main just ordinary people caught up in one of the most extraordinary things ever to hit anyone.
We finally got out to the airport and discovered that all the press luggage was being thoroughly searched so we were delayed even further. Meyer was next to useless at trying to cut through it. David Manning was on the phone trying to organise helicopters and warning them how late we might be. TB said he wanted a real inquiry into how we had managed to get into a situation where we spent half an hour sitting on a fucking plane while the president was in Washington waiting for us. Meanwhile Jonathan sent Meyer off the deep end when he had told him that the White House had said the meeting was one plus three, and TB wanted Jonathan, David Manning and me. Meyer threw an absolute tantrum, said he would be a laughing stock in Washington, threatened to resign on the spot. Jonathan did his usualunflappable bit, just let him let off steam and eventually it was resolved by David M asking Condi if she could slip in an extra place. It was all a bit silly and as TB said, leaders couldn’t give two tosses which officials from the other side were there, but it made sense to him to have the three people he would be working most closely with not just here but everywhere.
When we landed, we headed straight to the White House to be met by GWB, Powell, Condi and Dan Fried [senior director for European and
We landed in New York and though we had an escort, the combination of bad weather, dreadful traffic and continuing post-September 11 chaos meant that sadly we had to cancel the visit to a fire station. I was able to rescue it a bit when Clinton agreed to go instead of TB and take Cherie with him. TB was getting frantic because we were so late but we finally reached St Thomas’ Church and then a mild panic because there were suggestions that the reading, which had been suggested to me by Paddy Feeny [Tessa Jowell’s press officer], was not appropriate because it was about bereavement and some ofthe people there did not believe they had yet lost their loved ones. It suggested they were all emotionally shot to pieces. TB was in the front row with CB, Kofi Annan [United Nations Secretary General], Bill and Chelsea [Clinton]. TB’s reading 9 went fine as did the message read out by [UK ambassador Sir Christopher] Meyer from the Queen, including the brilliant line ‘Grief is the price we pay for love.’ Bill C asked me if I wrote it. I said I’d love to take credit, but no. He said find the guy who did, and hire him.
After the national anthems we had a brief meeting with Bill and Kofi who both warned of real dangers from Pakistan if we weren’t careful. Then we were taken up to the room where all the relatives were gathered. The contrast, the moment you entered the room, was palpable. We had been engaged in the normal diplomatic chat that goes on even in these circumstances, humour included, and now into this dreadful, dreadful atmosphere, haunted eyes, faces drained of blood, lips quivering. Most said it was all made worse by the fact they had no bodies to take home. Most carried pictures which they showed to TB and Bill as they moved through the room. Bill was absolutely terrific when he stood in for TB at the fire station. By now we were running really late and I felt terrible constantly reminding TB, but it was impossible to leave without him going round to speak to everyone. And they all just wanted to pour out their stories. These were in the main just ordinary people caught up in one of the most extraordinary things ever to hit anyone.
We finally got out to the airport and discovered that all the press luggage was being thoroughly searched so we were delayed even further. Meyer was next to useless at trying to cut through it. David Manning was on the phone trying to organise helicopters and warning them how late we might be. TB said he wanted a real inquiry into how we had managed to get into a situation where we spent half an hour sitting on a fucking plane while the president was in Washington waiting for us. Meanwhile Jonathan sent Meyer off the deep end when he had told him that the White House had said the meeting was one plus three, and TB wanted Jonathan, David Manning and me. Meyer threw an absolute tantrum, said he would be a laughing stock in Washington, threatened to resign on the spot. Jonathan did his usualunflappable bit, just let him let off steam and eventually it was resolved by David M asking Condi if she could slip in an extra place. It was all a bit silly and as TB said, leaders couldn’t give two tosses which officials from the other side were there, but it made sense to him to have the three people he would be working most closely with not just here but everywhere.
When we landed, we headed straight to the White House to be met by GWB, Powell, Condi and Dan Fried [senior director for European and
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