Regards, Ivan
Posted on 05/03/2003 6:25:12 PM PDT by MadIvan
TONY Blair has revealed how his Christian faith sustained him during the darkest days of the Iraq war and that he is prepared to be judged by God for the deaths caused by the conflict.
It is the first time the Prime Minister has spoken so openly about his religious beliefs and the crises of confidence he experienced during the most testing weeks of his premiership.
Blair said he would be able to justify to his "Maker" the momentous decision to wage war on Iraq, which ultimately led to the loss of hundreds of lives. The Prime Minister declared that he was ready to answer to God for the people "who have died or have been horribly maimed as a result of my decisions".
The revealing insight into the religious faith that sustained Blair before and during the military campaign which could have cost him his job have emerged in a remarkable account of the war from within Labour’s high command, published in the Times.
The report reveals that Blair felt under immense strain during the conflict and struggled to come to terms with the deaths of innocent civilians.
Speaking just hours after the shooting of seven Iraqi women and children at a US army check-point a month ago, he admitted: "It really gets to you."
It has also emerged that Downing Street aides were forced to rein in his religious fervour on the first night of the war, when they vetoed the Prime Minister’s proposal to sign off his landmark televised address to the nation with the words "God Bless You".
Former Times editor Peter Stothard enjoyed unprecedented access to the Prime Minister for 30 days during the build-up to the conflict and after the first strikes were made at the heart of Saddam’s empire.
His exhaustive campaign diary lays bare the extraordinary political upheaval surrounding the attempts to win domestic and international backing for the US-UK plan to take military action against Iraq, including the furore over the resignation of Cabinet minister Robin Cook.
It details Blair’s exasperation with French President Jacques Chirac, who stubbornly resisted pressure for him to support military action, but hinted that the Germans might pay the highest price for their failure to support the Americans.
The account also lifts the lid on the network of personal relationships at the centre of New Labour, including the Prime Minister’s reliance on his family at his most stressful times.
Leo, Blair’s three-year-old son, is portrayed as a constant source of relief, with a graphic description of how he regularly makes "deliveries" of Wagon Wheel biscuits to senior Downing Street figures including his father and the high-powered officials gathered around him.
One senior government insider told Scotland on Sunday:
"There was a great deal of tension, and a lot of disagreement on certain issues, but there is usually some light relief. That comes more often than not from Leo."
The Prime Minister’s Christian conviction has previously been a controversial issue and his aides have discouraged any discussion of it, particularly while he was leading an armed attack on a Muslim nation.
During an interview with the American magazine Vanity Fair, Blair’s spin-doctor Alistair Campbell told a journalist "we don’t do God" when he tried to press the Prime Minister on his religious beliefs. Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman was also rebuked for asking Blair if he had prayed with fellow Christian President Bush during the countdown to war.
But it has now been revealed that the Prime Minister had planned to use the phrase "God Bless You" during his broadcast to the nation on March 20.
After an aide warned that using God’s name would create the wrong impression, Blair complained that his team was a "most ungodly lot". He ended the televised statement with the words "thank you".
The Times article also details his regular attendance at church, even at the most crucial moments during the conflict, "at random places selected for daily reasons of security".
Later, in the closing days of the conflict, Blair was quizzed about his feelings on making decisions which have resulted in the deaths of children. He claimed he was ready "to meet my maker" and answer for "those who have died or have been horribly maimed as a result of my decisions".
Blair also accepted that many other Christians, who believe in "the same God", are of the opinion that the final judgment will not be in his favour.
The disclosures about the Prime Minister’s personal convictions provoked a mixed reaction last night.
Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said:
"I am interested to hear that Mr Blair takes the responsibilities of his actions seriously and that he is prepared to account for them, but the people who were opposed to the war feel equally strongly about their position.
"Mr Blair will have difficulty changing minds in the Muslim community but I am aware that he will face equal opposition from within the Christian community, no matter how he justifies his actions in Iraq."
A spokesman for the Church of England, which expressed profound reservations about the war, agreed that details of Blair’s religious convictions would not automatically alter the case against his actions.
The diary details Blair’s solitary moments, when he pondered the impact of his policy, wrote key speeches or strummed his guitar.
It also reveals his frustration with Chirac’s anti-war stance, including his fury when he learnt the French leader would veto any second resolution permitting an automatic attack on Iraq.
"This is such a foolish thing to do at this moment in the world’s history," said Blair. "The very people who should be strengthening the international institutions are undermining and playing around."
The account confirms that Downing Street had been prepared for Cook’s resignation for several days before the Livingston MP came to see Blair.
Briefing
OVER the past two months Tony Blair has taken on a sceptical electorate, Labour party rebels, the French president Jacques Chirac and Saddam Hussein as he has led the UK to war against Iraq.
He recently admitted that he had been prepared to resign if he had faced a bigger rebellion among backbench Labour MPs opposed to the war.
However, the successful outcome of the Iraq war has seen his political stature grow.
Regards, Ivan
Seems it's okay to believe in a Higher Power if his name be Allah. But should one believe in Jesus and/or God and . . . insert gasp here . . . actually profess this belief out loud, the libbers will go nuts. LOL.
You wait and see, MadIvan, Blair's and Bush's strong beliefs will soon be ridiculed as the greatest evil facing mankind . . . at least until something juicier comes along, like Madonna diddling a bellboy, or bellgirl since she's an equal opportunity diddler, or some other salacious story like that.
God or sex . . . ratings winners both. God AND sex, name your price.
Saying "God Bless You" is religious fervor? Britain may be already damned.
He he he.
Reminds me of a classic episode of Yes, Prime Minister, where Sir Humphrey was lobbied by the Establishment to veto a candidate for the office of Archbishop of Canterbury. Reason, he actually believed in the Resurrection. Cheers, By
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