Posted on 07/08/2005 6:53:38 PM PDT by wagglebee
Tony Blair left Gleneagles on Friday night at the end of the most dramatic week in his eight-year premiership. For once, that adjective is justified. So much of Mr Blair’s time at 10 Downing Street has been infused with drama and tension – above all, before and after the Iraq war. So many Blair weeks have been headlined “the most dramatic”, “the most dangerous”, “the most perilous”.
But this week, Britain’s prime minister rode a political and emotional rollercoaster that stands alongside nothing else he has had to deal with. On Wednesday he revelled in London’s victory in the 2012 Olympic bid. On Thursday, he faced the horror of the London bombings. Both events were played out against the backdrop of the Group of Eight summit in Gleneagles, where world leaders sought to alleviate the plight of the world’s poor.
Mr Blair has long been defined by his moral sensibility. Returning to Downing Street on Friday, his private thoughts will have been focused on the immorality of the bombings and how terrorism can be stopped.
But across the political spectrum, many will reflect on what the last few days mean for him personally. There are dangers for Mr Blair now – not least the risk that the bombings will revive anger over his decision to back the Iraq war. But the overwhelming judgment will be generous.
In May, in spite of winning a third election victory, Mr Blair seemed to be in the evening of his premiership. His Commons majority had been slashed. He had been vilified over the Iraq war in the election campaign. He was under mounting pressure to fulfil his pledge to stand down before Britain next went to the polls.
But the opening two months of his third term in power have given him a mission. He has the gravity to face down the terror threat. He has shown the enthusiasm to help secure London’s Olympic bid. After the European constitution’s collapse, he is leading the debate on Europe’s economic future. His pledge to serve a full third term – staying to 2008 or beyond – is now seriously credible.
Three things have reminded us why he remains one of the world’s most arresting figures.
First, there is the range of his register as a political performer. On Wednesday, he grasped the excitement of London’s Olympic victory with the right tone. He expressed an almost boyish jubilation at London’s victory over Paris – but one that was contained so as not to humiliate Jacques Chirac, the French president.
After the bombings, his condemnation of terror was grim and powerful. But it was fused with a message that Britons must distinguish Islamist terrorists from the mass of decent and law-abiding Muslims.
Second is his ability to position himself strategically. Ever since September 11, he has given his government a tough image, advocating tough anti-terror laws and identity cards. Libertarians have assailed him with the argument that the terror threat is exaggerated. This week, Mr Blair found himself on the right side of the argument.
That strategic vision mixes with a third quality: an instinct to react quickly when events change, to take a risk. On the Olympic bid, Mr Blair gambled, flying to Singapore to lobby the International Olympic Committee when many would have feared emerging a loser. Then, after the bombings, he flew straight to London from Gleneagles. The instinctive reaction will evoke parallels with how, after the New York and Madrid attacks, others faltered.
None of this, of course, suggests Mr Blair is in for an easy ride. He knows how events can suddenly go against him. And on several fronts, there will be big challenges.
First, there is fear that the bombings will trigger a backlash over his backing for the Iraq war. George Galloway, the anti-war MP, was quick to jump on the argument, warning that the bombings meant the UK had “paid the price for the war”. That argument may gain ground if the attacks continue.
There is another big challenge. The bombings came just as Mr Blair was beginning to get the US and Europe to put their differences over Iraq aside and co-operate on a benign agenda. At the G8 yesterday, the US and Europe came together to tackle climate change, Africa and the Middle East. The danger for Mr Blair is that modest but dignified transatlantic co-operation on the world’s problems will be swamped by a new escalation in the war on terror.
There is one more to add. Mr Blair’s political momentum may ultimately rest more on events at home, with the need to press ahead with reforms of Britain’s state secondary education system, its pensions and social security structures. These UK issues rarely make headlines in the world’s press. But the danger is that, as he fends off epic challenges on the world stage – the Olympics, the war on terror, the need to reform Europe – he will lose focus on the core domestic agenda.
But at the end of this week – of all weeks – political pundits should beware of predicting more than a few hours into the future. Better, perhaps, to reflect on where things stand now. Two months ago, Tony Blair looked close to being finished politically. Today, he is once again becoming the master of his fate.
I've always believed that there are certain "wartime" leaders who shine when their nation's freedom is in danger. Winston Churchill was one, so is George W. Bush and now it appears Tony Blair is also.
don't forget maggie thatcher!
and pope john paul!
they went hand in hand with ronald reagan.
Loud applause from this corner! May I add a my own private comments, ie loudly calling "Hear, hear!" I admire Tony Blair's dauntless courage and public speaking ability. He is truly an inspiring politician. He stood up firmly to support President Bush over Iraq, did so at great personal political risk and never failed the U.S.
Loud applause from this corner! May I add a my own private comments, ie loudly calling "Hear, hear!" I admire Tony Blair's dauntless courage and public speaking ability. He is truly an inspiring politician. He stood up firmly to support President Bush over Iraq, did so at great personal political risk and never failed the U.S.
This is a slam of Bush for staying in the air at undisclosed locations rather than rushing to NY/Washington ... or perhaps less a slam than an inadvetant disclosure of the author's mindset. I find it annoying how people assume such slants to be fact.
I have thought a lot about the similarities between Churchill and GWB:
-- both of them were generally viewed as spoiled rich kids;
-- both of them had respectable but not exemplary school records;
-- both of them were seen by the left as having everything handed to them because of family connections;
-- and both of them performed magnificently when their nations were at the point of greatest danger. It is as if their entire lives had been spent unknowingly preparing to lead their countrymen in a time of crisis, almost as if God had made them appear incapable so their enemies would underestimate them.
good points.
barring some negative before the end of his term, president bush will rank up near the top, after reagan.
he's got an agenda, he's humble, and he's had some luck.
Another humorous fact about Churchill was that his rivals always ridiculed him because he was never able to learn a foreign language. But after World War II he proved that he was one the 20th century's greatest masters of the English language and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
http://nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/1953/index.html
thanks.
on a smaller note,
he also said something funny,
refuting english teachers who say, don't end a sentence with a preposition.
(from memory and perhaps not exact) churchill said:
"impertinence from a subordinate is something that i shall not put up with" !
ending the construction with a preposition!
Once he was hosting a dinner for an Arab king (I believe the king of Saudi Arabia), and Churchill was advised not to serve alcohol or smoke cigars while with the king out of respect for Islamic religious beliefs. While waiting for dinner with the king, Churchill had his usual cigar and martini. He said to the king, [I am trying to quote from memory, so this may not be the exact quote, but the essense is correct] "I am aware that your religion forbids these things, I hope you will understand that my religion requires them."
Extend his tenure? Oh, the American news media will be so disappointed!
Quite a few years ago, I attended a ceremony at Winston Churchill's old school, Harrow, as a representative of my own school's Old Boys association.
During the ceremony, the boys of Harrow sang one of their school songs (one that is very familiar to a lot of people who attended similar schools, as this song has spread) but a last verse was added in tribute to Churchill.
It was one of the most moving things I ever heard to hear these boys sing these words:
History remembers those who succeeded with great respect - and those who fail with the utmost disrespect.
Churchill rose to the challenge - Blair must now do so. If he fails, nothing else he has ever done, or will ever do matters.
I think the greatest sign of what this means can be seen in the respect this forum shows for Mr Blair - a socialist, a leader of the British Labour party. None of us are predisposed to like his fundamental politics.
But his support for the War on Terror, has put into shadow everything else - you can respect a man even if you disagree with him, if he stands up when he has to.
Well, he has to - and I think he does have what it takes.
I couldn't agree more. Four years ago I viewed Tony Blair as little more than a Clinton wannabe with more moral fiber than the Bent One. However, since 9/11 I have developed enormous respect for him. JFK's book "Profiles in Courage" contained the stories of men who risked political disgrace in order to follow their conscience, Blair certainly belongs in this category. Ed Koch is another, he has steadfastly supported Bush in the war even though he openly admits he disagrees with every one of his domestic policies. In the post-9/11 world, leaders of character realize that without the survival of civilization, partisan politics are meaningless.
thanks.
i knew there was something amiss--that's why i identified it from memory.
early senility here!
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