Labour contenders; why has the two Ed's (Miliband & ) took this much time to criticise the Iraq war...?

I am as always open to correction but were any of these people actually M.P.'s at the time of the Iraq War ?. As contenders for Great Leader of the Labour Party they are free to tell any lie to get elected. Their pronouncements show they have no morals anyway. Maybe they thought, 'Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and prove it !'