Opaque Lucidity

A Moment For Tony

Tony Blair is no longer Prime Minister of the UK. I don't know what he and his wife plan to do now, but I know one thing for certain: he and his nation have been this nation's best friends for the past six years, and I, for one, think we need to remember it.

Blair is socially liberal, which is pretty common amongst European leaders. But something made him stand out; perhaps it was his knowledge of history or his appreciation of the "special relationship" that the US and England have shared for the better part of a century. Whatever the cause, Tony Blair stood tall when it mattered. When we went into Afghanistan in October, 2001, Royal Navy subs were right there, firing cruise missiles right beside our 688s. When we went into Iraq in March, 2003, it was the British Army whose presence in the nation was so large that it comprised 25% of their total manpower. It was Tony Blair who stood strong with us when the occupation began to turn into a brush war against insurgents and terrorists. He fought his own party, something that is very rare in democracies.

I can think of no higher praise for Tony Blair than to say that his actions and words have been Churchillian. Thank you, Tony----you will always have friends on this side of the pond.