Blair’s War

There was a fascinating Frontline special on PBS last night called “Blair’s War” about how British Prime Minister Tony Blair tried to walk a thin line between the United States and Europe over Iraq. A couple of things stood out:

- Blair giving a speech the night after the biggest protest march in England’s history saying that he doesn’t mean to be unpopular, but sometimes that’s the price of leadership and the cost of conviction.
- One of the commentators (I think it was the Washington Post correspondent) saying that, by opposing the war, Jacques Chirac was receiving the highest approval ratings of his career and he was “intoxicated” by it.
- The French ambushed Colin Powell at the United Nations in January by calling a meeting supposedly about terrorism and then using the Security Council to denounce the U.S. military build-up

If you can find when the show will be repeated on PBS (check the link above), I highly recommend it. Blair has been a true ally of the United States by standing firm against his own party and British public opinion to do what he believes is right.