The matters at stake before Lord Justice Hutton, whose inquiry began hearing evidence in London yesterday, could hardly be greater for the individuals involved.
While the inquiry itself is into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, there seems little doubt that the Ministry of Defence scientist and expert in weapons of mass destruction committed suicide. Events preceding that personal tragedy may, or may not, have had considerable bearing on his state of mind. It is upon these events, and the likely effect they may have had on Dr Kelly, that the inquiry will concentrate.
Dr Kelly became publicly embroiled in the fallout from the war in Iraq when he was identified as the main source for separate claims by two BBC journalists that 10 Downing Street, the office of the prime minister, Mr Tony Blair, had exaggerated - the phrase in common currency is "sexed up" - the degree to which the regime of Saddam Hussein was a threat. In the run-up to the US-led invasion when Mr Blair's government was seeking to persuade a sceptical public of its case for war, a dossier was published by Downing Street which asserted that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction within 48 hours.
The accusation against Mr Blair, therefore, is that he lied to the electorate and, more serious in political terms, to the House of Commons, in order to lead his country into war. If such were shown to be the case, the prime minister's career would rightly come to an end at the earliest opportunity following publication of Lord Hutton's report. Equally, if any of his colleagues - notably the Defence Secretary, Mr Geoff Hoon and/or Mr Blair's main press adviser, Mr Alastair Campbell - fed Mr Blair exaggerated claims, their careers surely must also be at an end.
Within the BBC, the two journalists involved, Andrew Gilligan of BBC Radio 4's Today programme and Susan Watts, science correspondent of BBC2 television's Newsnight programme, will be anxious lest their reporting and commenting on foot of confidential briefings by Dr Kelly is judged to be inaccurate. Is it they, and not 10 Downing Street, who "sexed up" information?
And Dr Kelly's family will be most anxious that he, unable to speak for himself, does not become a convenient scapegoat for the sake of everyone else's reputations.
For the moment, Mr Blair is away from the action, on holiday with his family in Barbados. Whatever judgment issues ultimately from Lord Hutton, the events unfolding in London will loom large in any assessment of Mr Blair's career as prime minister.