A fine article from today's online telegraph

04.03.06, 11:44
This article made Tony Blair's ratings go up a few steps in my view:

tinyurl.com/qt8po
Blair: God will judge me on Iraq
By George Jones, Political Editor
(Filed: 04/03/2006)

Tony Blair believes he will be judged by God and history on whether he did
the "right thing" in taking Britain to war against Iraq three years ago.

Interviewed by Michael Parkinson, Mr Blair said he "struggled" with his
conscience over the decision to join the US-led invasion.


Tony Blair: The decision to invade Iraq 'had to be lived with'
More than 100 British servicemen, as well as thousands of Iraqis have died in
the continuing insurgency.

It was the frankest admission Mr Blair has yet made about how his religious
beliefs influence his actions as Prime Minister, particularly the life and
death decisions involved in military action.

Mr Blair said he made policy decisions according to his conscience, which is
guided by his Christian faith. But he did not go as far as President George W
Bush who reportedly claimed that his decision to invade Iraq was "a mission
from God".

Although Mr Blair is a regular churchgoer, he has been reluctant to talk
about religion and politics because of his fear of being portrayed as the
same sort of evangelical Christian as President Bush.

Mr Blair's former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell, was once reported to have
said: "We don't do God."

In the interview to be broadcast on ITV1 tonight, Mr Blair said decisions on
military conflict were the toughest he had faced since he came to power in
1997.

He refused to be drawn on whether he prayed before deciding on military
action. Three years ago, he was involved in an angry exchange with the
Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman, who asked him if he and President Bush
prayed together.

However, David Aikman, a former senior writer on Time magazine, claimed in a
book about President Bush 18 months ago that Mr Blair and Mr Bush prayed
together in the lead up to the Iraq war and shared a "spiritual affinity".

Mr Blair denied that despite "some really difficult moments" he had ever
wished he had not become Prime Minister. He still regarded the job as a
privilege. Asked about the Iraq war, Mr Blair said the decision had to
be "lived with".

"In the end there is a judgment that … well, I think if you have faith about
these things then you realise that judgment is made by other people," Mr
Blair said.

Asked what he meant by that, Mr Blair added: "By other people, by, if you
believe in God, it's made by God as well. The only way you can take a
decision like that is to try to do the right thing, according to your
conscience and for the rest of it you leave it to the judgment that history
will make."

Mr Blair said religion had been a way into politics. But asked by Parkinson
if he regarded himself as a Christian Socialist, he said: "It's a long time
since anyone used the word socialist about me."

Having just reprieved Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, in the controversy
over her husband's business interests, he admitted that it was tough sacking
friends.

"You feel for them very much in that situation."

Mr Blair again refused to be drawn on when he would stand down as Prime
Minister, and insisted that he remained friends with Gordon Brown despite the
Chancellor's growing impatience at being denied the top job.

He admitted there were "difficulties" in their relationship. But they had
known each other for 20 years. "I am proud to call him a friend and I always
will be."

Mr Blair disclosed that the first time he had a "proper chat" with his father-
in-law, the actor Tony Booth, after he married Cherie, they sat down and Mr
Booth said: "Do you mind if I light a joint? - So I said no, incidentally."

Mr Blair said his health was fine after surgery in September, 2004, to
correct a heart flutter. He recently received a letter from a woman whose
daughter was "terrified" at the prospect of having the same operation. "So I
gave her a call. It's not so bad, the operation is very simple and once it's
done you're cured."
    • ms.jones Re: A fine article from today's online telegraph 04.03.06, 16:14
      PM attacked on Iraq 'God' remarks - with links to video clips and comments
      newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4773124.stm
      How shocking that a Christian should pray when he is faced with making one of
      the most difficult decisions of his office. Who would have thought it could
      ever happen? I'm not a Christian but I prefer to have a Christian PM who feels
      he is answerable to his maker (whatever it means to him) as well as to the
      electorate and history. As long as he feels he will be judged and not that the
      decisions he makes are reaching him directly and without any distortion from
      above. Which he is not claiming, I hope.


      Some food for thought re religions?
      www.johnhick.org.uk/articles.shtml
    • kylie1 Re: A fine article from today's online telegraph 05.03.06, 06:15
      I would seriously wonder if his remorse is genuine or is it a painful
      realization on his that his popularuty took a huge plunge. Or has it? At this
      point one is capable of saying almost anything. Over here Blair has always been
      considered Bush's puppet. If he had given his thoughts a little consideration
      before jumping into major decisions on such important issues as invading Iraq,
      he would have been OK.

      > Tony Blair: The decision to invade Iraq 'had to be lived with'

      I don't think you have a choice buddy. The damage has been done. And it's gonna
      be many many years before things settle down. Persoanlly I think they opened a
      can of worms and the unrest will never ever end.

      >Mr Blair and Mr Bush prayed together in the lead up to the Iraq war and shared
      a "spiritual affinity".

      That just brings a tear to my eye. To me it was more like a threesome with the
      Devil than a "mission from God"...

      I think Blair wants his popularity back so he can stay in power for as long as
      possible. Again, I might not be too familiar with the situation in the UK but
      that would be my guess.
      Bottom line: there is not one politician that I trust.

      smile
      • kylie1 Re: A fine article from today's online telegraph 05.03.06, 06:18
        first sentence got messed up somehow...sorry

        > I would seriously wonder if his remorse is genuine or is it a painful
        > realization on his part that his popularuty has taken a huge plunge. Or has
        it?

        smile

        • usenetposts Re: A fine article from today's online telegraph 05.03.06, 15:01
          I don't read it as remorse, Kylie.

          He's saying, "you guys don't need to judge me, I already gotta judge; He'll
          tell me whether I done good or not".
          • kylie1 Re: A fine article from today's online telegraph 06.03.06, 04:03
            > I don't read it as remorse, Kylie.

            Neither do I. I think he is putting a bit of a show to gain public acceptance.
            I know what he said, Dave, I still think he is full of bologne. Same with Bush.

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