Agree wholeheartedly with Smoketoomuch. It was incredible watching Blair trying to explain himself away on TV yesterday. I cannot believe that a so-called intelligent man would listen to or read an intelligence briefing without asking for clarification on the important issues such as this one, and then expect the public to accept his ignorance on the matter as if it made no difference. When it became clear - long before the war began - that the public had also been fooled by this false claim, Hoon did not think that it was his place to correct the misconception! Presumably he would have discussed the matter with Blair, which means that Blair probably knew what types of weapons the 45 minute claim referred to from an early stage.
The man and his cronies are blatant liars who bend and distort the truth to suit their ends in ways that I have not seen before. 'Spin' is far too kind a word for their activities.