Blair: Obama will face a hard power moment in the Middle East at some point

Doug

Is this the man that used to party with Berlusconi?

dearieme

Comfortable in his own skin? Is that becausae he has a void at his centre?

Steve.W

Quote - “hard power issues”, he's not planning another war is he?

“Comfortable in his own skin” - no hideously smug.

JohnAnt

"how much more comfortable [Blair is] in his own skin than Brown. "
Sure is. Blair is a natural, fluent liar. Brown has had to work hard at it, and still lies so unconvincingly that you can even guess the real truth behind his lie.
With Tony, you can be fairly sure as a rule that not even the opposite of what he says is the truth.

Percy

When he gives evidence to the Iraq inquiry will Mr Blair be required to wear an orange boiler suit?

tlh

The Iraq thing crucial to the present flow of British Politics?
That's what we the electorate think?

In any case - why, at a traditionally Conservative magazine, are we supposed to hope for the survival of Labour?

simon9999

They were keen to jettison him because he was George Bush's poodle and invaded Iraq. Of course Pro-American Brits think doing what America orders us to do is some great honour so there isn't much point arguing with them.

Edward

"... what is striking about it is just how much more comfortable in his own skin than Brown, Blair is".

Possibly a delusion of grandeur compared to a delusion of adequacy ?

Both seem uncomfortable to be found anywhere in close proximity to the truth.

mitch

Oh look Blair wants another war, what is it about this fool and killing Muslims?
He should be in a cell waiting for his trial not roaming the world trying to re offend.

David Ossitt

I am deeply ashamed of this man.

He; awakes feelings that are not pleasant.

I would like him to go and stay away.

Vulture

The smooth skin that he feels so comfortable in is in reality a burned and shrivelled wilderness, littered with the charred and eviscerated corpses that seem to sit so lightly on his conscience. If he had any semblence of shame for the evil he has wrought he should enter a Trappist monastery and never be seen or heard of again. But of course he will not, as his recent conversion to Catholicism is as phoney as everything else about him. It is a national disgrace that we thrice elected this criminal to the highest office in the land.

cmp

C'mon, Blair couldn't have won another election

Marbury

I'm surprised you chose the man who created the "Blair's Bombs" cover for the NS to write the cover piece for your magazine.

The story itself isn't up to much: a poorly sourced, unchecked (apparently) and entirely implausible-sounding 'revelation', written up with a transparent hatred of the "smiling" and "insouciant" and generally dastardly Tony Blair.

This is the kind of thing I expect from the NS, not you lot.

THX1138

James you are spoiling me two posts on my hero in a week.

Yep Coffee Houser's he kept your side out of power for a decade or more & forced the Conservative Party to choose a leader just like him to have a chance of winning the next GE.

Ian C

"Blair couldn't have won another election..."

Probably, but he could have prevented the inevitable death of the Labour Party that the PLP voted for in 2007 and again the other day.

I do not grieve - at all - but point out, as James has, that the political scene would be different and we would probably have had a General Election or it would be imminent at this time had they not sacked Blair.

George Aitcombe

What about taking a hard line on Israeli Settlements?

brian kelly

I posted this in response to some article or comments about Campbell in May this year. I take the liberty of believing they still seem pertinent.

'They all fell for the Blair project - in one way or another they were all stooges for Blair. Blair is/was a totally shallow snake oil salesman who managed to dupe an awful lot of people for an awful long time, though many - more astute - saw through him very quickly. He has wrought huge damage on this country and virtually everything he has touched - all has turned to dross. He worshipped at the shrine of money and power and could have been of any political persuasion providing he could see a path to power himself. And every demogogue needs his loyal, slavish, attack dog – that’s you Campbell and you have all the qualities to fulfill that position admirably, just as McBride fulfilled admirably – until caught out – a similar role for Brown. It must be in the genes of the Nu Labour project. You were sold a pup, sunshine, and you’ll regret it to the end of your days and you will thoroughly deserve it. This Nu Labour project – and all its adherents will pass, soon, into history and be remembered only as an hideous aberration.'

Chris lancashire

I suggest THX1138 waits ten years to pass judgement on Cameron. However bad he may or may not prove I cannot believe he will plumb the depths of Blair who was quite prepared to have UK servicemen killed so he could lick the a**e of a US president in a completely unjustified war. That's your legacy Blair.

THX1138

I'm amazed by the memory black hole on this blog on the Iraq war and the rampant anti Americanism.

I didn't support the war but the Conservatives did and David Cameron voted FOR THE IRAQ WAR.

How would anything have been different with the war a Conservative Government? Your hatred of Blair is clouding your reason.

mouse1

Brown respects the truth enough to want to avoid it at all costs. For Blair, on the other hand, the truth simply isn't an issue.

Think propagandist vs PR 'guru', or old socialism vs new liberalism, or liar vs bull****er.

David Ossitt

THX1138

"James you are spoiling me two posts on my hero in a week"

THX; your at it again, you are being mischievous.

You know full well that David Cameron has little in common with Tony Blair.

You are just trying to send our blood pressure through the roof.

Derek

In so far as comments have so far largely given tongue to an obsession with Mr. Blair, the following (and I regret) rather lengthy quotation from Front Page magazine may help return the focus to what developments in Iran may signify for Obama: "...To understand what has motivated Obama [to favour the status quo in Tehran], we must focus on the notion of regime change, both in Washington and Tehran. The Cairo speech announced to the world: regime change in Washington (the coming of Obama) can solve the problem of the Middle East. By the force of his personality, and by breaking with the Bush past, Obama would bring peace to that troubled region, something that would be an achievement and legacy for him on a grand scale. But what happens if instead there is regime change in Tehran, and it is that regime change that leads directly to a sharp reduction in tensions throughout the region as Iran suddenly stops encouraging and bankrolling terror regimes and terrorists? In that case, it would be clear that regime change in Tehran, not in Washington, has been the decisive factor. Cairo will be forgotten; Obama’s hopes of foreign policy glory will vanish. Worse yet, democracy coming to Iran may seem to be a consequence of democracy having previously been brought to its neighbor Iraq. And so instead of a dramatically better Middle East being the direct result of regime change in Washington, it could even be seen as a consequence of the actions taken by the former Washington regime, and the despised George Bush might get the glory instead of Obama. No wonder Obama spoke as if what those Iranians were doing was pointless. From his point of view, it was worse than that..." The "hard powers issues" for Obama would therefore include a decision whether to abandon his defence of the status quo and come out in unambiguous language in support of the overthrow of the Islamic Republic if the logic of the demonstrations in Iran unfold to a point where that is the issue, as well as the possibility of having to decide whether to support or denounce a strike by Israel against the current regime's nuclear weaponry facilities, a decision made all the harder when the mask (such as it was) has been so publicly torn from the tyranny's face.

THX1138

David Ossitt- mischievous moi.... I'm hurt :)

"You know full well that David Cameron has little in common with Tony Blair"

Are you so sure about that? TGF & I would disagree with you and judging by this quote so would Dave

From The Times

"At a dinner with newspaper executives on the eve of his address, he took the comparison a step further. “I am the heir to Blair,” he said. If his hosts were in any doubt about what they had heard, Mr Cameron repeated the mantra"

Sounds good enough for me!

David Ossitt

THX1138

“I am the heir to Blair,”

He'd had too much to drink; he was drunk, he must have been out of his mind.

Seb Tarr

I dont like the way he talks about britain now.

As the interviewer Graydon Carter describes, tony blair has outgrown britain,

has the world outgrown britain?

strategic relationships is surely a by-word for diminshed power?

egh

Seb Tarr - blair is about the destruction of Britain, not its growth, preservation, or development. We are diminished - finished even - because he plays on the World Stage.

Gil

The 'camel corps' are out in force. Countless Iraqis are grateful to Blair for rescuing them from the murderous dictator Saddam Hussein. Let's wait for the verdict of history as to whether or not the war was justified on National Security grounds. All you armchair pundits know nothing.

David Ossitt

Gil.

"Let's wait for the verdict of history as to whether or not the war was justified on National Security grounds"

Poppycock; piffle utter steaming rubbish.

Jeremy

“There will come a point further down the road when the hard power issues will also be there.”

Such a perfectly turned sentence. Such far-seeing vision. Such statesman-like scope. Such large expenses (missing). Such huge fees. Such an enormous salary. If it wasn't for Mr Blair, who would tell us the things we worked out for ourselves the moment Obama was elected? Oh, if only we had him back again...*sobs*

N

Wow, i'm impressed Blair sure keeps popping his head up everywhere. And i though Bush was bad the few times he popped up!

Stephen Rothbart

I think Blair was referring to the Jewish question: as in the easy task of beating up a friend and ally to appease the Muslim world, but that will come at a price politically.

Clearly Obama has no intention of confronting Iran or North Korea, so in order to try to stem the proliferation of nuclear arms in Iran, he is preparing himself to dump Israel.

That is a hard choice for the man who likes to vote 'Present' when it comes to hard choices, but he knows Israel will not attack the US, nor bomb its citizens in reprisals, so it's the obvious choice for a man without a moral compass to his name.