The conscious nature of Tony Blair's lies and distortions over Iraq is now clear. Collectors will havetheir favourites. Mine is his statement in parliament on 29 January that "we do know of links between al-Qaedaand Iraq". As the intelligence agencies have repeatedly confirmed, there were no links, and Blair wouldhave known this. Looking back, this lie sought to justify his statement, in October 2001, that there would be"a wider war" against Iraq only if there was "absolute evidence" of its complicity in 11September. Of course, there was no evidence, and Blair must have known that, too.