The Dangerous World After Tony Blair

Tony Blair (photo) is leaving and I'm really quite sad. True, the British Prime Minister is liberal on a huge list of social and economic issues, but he is so very right about the single most important issue facing Western Civilization -- the war against Islamic Fascist terror. With his departure, now just weeks away, Blair has been seen frequently on US news networks discussing his legacy. The issue that comes up most often is the war in Iraq.

His sound bites on the issue have been powerful and carry the important themes:

* This is not a war the West has asked for, but one in which we have been forced to fight. It is foolish to believe that we can leave Iraq and our problems would go with it. His reoccurring theme is that we didn't start this war, but we have no choice but to finish it.

* "This is not a clash between civilizations. It is a clash about civilization." I love this quote and this is what I mean by Blair "getting it" where others clearly don't. Islamic fascists attacked us, not the other way around. This a war that will only go away when it is won.

* "Some say if we act, we become a target. The truth is, all nations are targets. Bali was never in the front line of action against terrorism. America didn't attack al Qaeda. They attacked America." This is in specific reference to Iraq in his now famous "The War with Iraq" speech. Most people around the world, including many of our leaders, don't realize that the war in Iraq only allows to control where this war is fought. The declaration of war was done by our enemies, all we can hope to do is finish it.

Tony Blair is great, but I'm fairly sure that Labor will go a different direction under the new leadership. George Bush isn't the only one who lost a good friend with Blair's decision to leave, but so has every civilized nation around the world.

On the International News Front...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Blinks

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran (see photo) has announced today that he was releasing the 15 British sailors his country has held for over two weeks. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that he is elated by the news, but I am sure he is being cautiously optimistic in his response, since Ahmadinejad announced he was releasing the one female prisoner a week ago, but failed to do so. Both US and British officials have indicated that they will believe it when they fly out of Iranian air space. The President of Iran is calling it a "gift" to the British, but I have a difficult time interpreting it as anything but a blink. I have always seen Ahmadinejad as a crazy, not knowing the limits of his power. His response to this situation is actually a little encouraging. He blinked, something I didn't think he was capable or willing to do.

Nancy Pelosi as a Shadow Secretary of State

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is something of a shadow Secretary of State for the Democratic party, travelling to the tyrannical state of Syria and meeting with the President of that terrorist state, Bashar al-Assad. While President Bush and other western leaders have been trying to isolate this dictator, Pelosi has her own agenda and foreign policy with no regard to what the Executive Branch is pursuing. Diplomacy has always fallen under the Executive Branch, historically. This has become fashionable as of late, with Members of Congress doing their own diplomacy. The trend is dangerous, in my opinion, and creates a situation in which the US is sending confusing messages to the rest of the world.