Today, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that he will be leaving office on June 27, after a decade in office. For a review of Blair's life and accomplishments, I recommend "The Tony Blair Story" by the BBC.My short take on Tony Blair is that he is a tragic, complex figure, a man with tremendous talent and charisma who did a lot of good things at home, but was ultimately brought down by the deeply unpopular war in Iraq. In Blair's case, it's even more tragic, as Bill Clinton's fellow "Third Way" politician ended up embracing far-right radical George W. Bush, the disastrously worst President in American history.
Why did Blair throw in his lot with Bush? Did he really believe that what he was doing with regard to Iraq was the "right thing," as he said? Was he first and foremost concerned with maintaining Britain's "special relationship" with the United States at all costs? Or was he merely George W. Bush's "poodle," as some of his harshest critics charged? My guess is that it's a combination of the first two factors, and that Blair was nobody's "poodle."
Anyway, with changes in leadership in both France and England, plus the winding down of Bush's fiasco of a Presidency (and the Democratic takeover of Congress), we are definitely witnessing a "changing of the guard" on the world stage. Will this mean significant changes in course with regards to Iraq, global warming, and many other issues?
It's hard to say, but my guess is that it will largely come down to the results of U.S. Presidential elections in November 2008. If American voters pick another Republican in 2008, I do not see anything good coming of it. On the other hand, if they pick a strong Democratic President, I definitely believe we can stop digging the hole deeper and start moving forward once again.
In the meantime, farewell to Tony Blair as his "story" as Prime Minister of Britain comes to an end. For a good memory, check out Blair's "extraordinary" farewell speech to the Labour conference on September 26, 2006.
Blair certainly didn't invade Iraq because of some religious conviction - of that I am very sure, but I do agree that he honestly believed it was the morally right thing to do, even if history will judge his decision and methods to have been wrong.