Tony Blair - The Interview

[President Bartlet]

Just finished watching it. Any thoughts on it?
Despite Iraq and that will forver be debated I was reminded just how good a politican and PM he was and I think had he still been there he would have won a fourth straight victory.

[Sync]

Missed it, but it's just started a replay on BBC 2. Blair looks pretty good, healthier than he looked last year. Agree on the election, I think he'd have gone into coalition with the LibDems

[hmmm]

As a politician he is brilliant, probably the best I have ever seen. I think unfortunately his intelligence and ability to think deeply about issues was often hidden behind his spin-doctored facade. The interview didn't throw up much I thought was new, but it did highlight his reflective side a bit more.

I never fully understood his siding with the US in the war on Iraq. I can't decide whether it was an attempt to maintain the US/UK relationship or a genuine belief he could do "good" by helping to overthrow Saddam. I'd like to think he was naive and it was the latter.

[Sync]

As a politician he is brilliant, probably the best I have ever seen. I think unfortunately his intelligence and ability to think deeply about issues was often hidden behind his spin-doctored facade. The interview didn't throw up much I thought was new, but it did highlight his reflective side a bit more.

I never fully understood his siding with the US in the war on Iraq. I can't decide whether it was an attempt to maintain the US/UK relationship or a genuine belief he could do "good" by helping to overthrow Saddam. I'd like to think he was naive and it was the latter.

I always thought naivity. He wanted Hussein gone, and felt the promise of a tangental middle east peace plan (remember that?) and freeing Iraq would make up for it. He vastly overestimated the competance of the US when it came to the aftermath, and their willingness to commit to the peace plan, which died before it began, despite being a good blueprint.

His tie is too long, his pants are too short, he's still a fantastic politician. So comfortable playing the role he's in.

[Jakey]

As a politician he is brilliant, probably the best I have ever seen. I think unfortunately his intelligence and ability to think deeply about issues was often hidden behind his spin-doctored facade. The interview didn't throw up much I thought was new, but it did highlight his reflective side a bit more.

I never fully understood his siding with the US in the war on Iraq. I can't decide whether it was an attempt to maintain the US/UK relationship or a genuine belief he could do "good" by helping to overthrow Saddam. I'd like to think he was naive and it was the latter.

+1.

Blair is pure class. Too many people made the mistake of assuming that because he was so good at style, he must therefore be light on substance. Often, the same people made the opposite mistake with Brown: assuming that Brown's poor style masked some deeper substance that wasn't actually there. My only bug-bear with Blair in that interview is his persistent tendency to over-dramatise the Islamist threat. Islamism represents a very, very serious security challenge but it doesn't, imo, represent an existential threat to Western society like the Soviets or Nazis. Blair comes across as a bit wild-eyed when he bangs on about it in such terms.

[hmmm]

I always thought naivity. He wanted Hussein gone, and felt the promise of a tangental middle east peace plan (remember that?) and freeing Iraq would make up for it. He vastly overestimated the competance of the US when it came to the aftermath, and their willingness to commit to the peace plan, which died before it began, despite being a good blueprint.

I agree with you. To become Prime Minister you have to be pretty ruthless, but he has been consistently "touchy feely" in tone rather than cynical post his leaving the job. He doesn't give the impression of someone who saw Iraq as simply a political calculation. Of course he is still active in political life so may still be playing a game with us all.

[SideysGhost]

This forum is full of ass-kissing lunatics.

Bliar was a shallow lying egomaniacal Jesus Freak with delusions of adequacy and no concept of Truth, a war criminal who bears responsibility for the deaths of countless civilians, and a disastrous PM of Britain who massively eroded civil liberties and created the same kind of corrupt pork jobs-for-the-boys bubble-fuelled non-economy in Britain as Da Bert was busy building in Ireland.

Vermin like Bliar and Bert are the reason there's so much disillusionment with politics in general. Self-serving money-trousering gits who portrayed themselves to be compassionate leaders who cared about the little people - but it was all just a con.

[eoghanacht]

Loathe him or like him. If you ask 100 ordinary joe soaps to name two post war British PM's. Thatcher would be one Blair the other.

[new jewell]

Should get a warm reception in Easons this weekend.Easons must be mad.

[Trampas]

My only bug-bear with Blair in that interview is his persistent tendency to over-dramatise the Islamist threat. Islamism represents a very, very serious security challenge but it doesn't, imo, represent an existential threat to Western society like the Soviets or Nazis. Blair comes across as a bit wild-eyed when he bangs on about it in such terms.

Blair is right. Besides "very, very serious challenges" tend to extend far beyond security issues.