Blair's Courage
Last July,
Tony Blair had high hopes for the UN Security Council's ability to disarm Saddam. It didn't take long for the prime minister to see his hopes were misplaced. To his credit, he adopted a new (and correct) policy. And, despite growing opposition in his own party and in polls, Blair courageously refused to bow to intense political pressure.
Matters came to a head yesterday when the prime minister made the case to the House of Commons for military action against Saddam. "This speech is one of the finest any prime minister has given in the House of Commons," writes
Andrew Sullivan. And he's right. Facing political ruin, the prime minister threw down the gauntlet, made a hugely convincing case for using military force against Saddam and then threatened to resign if the Commons voted to withdraw British troops. The Commons voted overwhelming to approve military action and Blair's compelling speech was a major factor in the lopsided tally. Read the text of his historic speech
here.
