In an article for the New Statesman on June 9, 2003, former British politician Clare Short said: ” ‘…by 9 September [2002], [U.K. Prime Minister Tony] Blair and [President] Bush were agreed that there had to be military action in Iraq. My conclusion now is that Blair had promised Bush that the UK would support military action in September 2002, if not before, and that he set out to help Bush build a coalition with a target date for action of spring 2003.’ ”
– Clare Short, An Honourable Deception?, Page 228