"The trouble is, the poor sod has hitched his star to Bush's, and I fear has learned too late that this entails swallowing the fundamentalist Christian right-wing lunacy that seems to epitomise the current US administration.

Like most British leaders since WWII (with the exception of Wilson), Blair seems to place a pathetic faith in what we on this side of the Atlantic call the 'special relationship'...

...Blair honestly believes that his 'good friend' George Bush is acting out of altruism to make the world a better place for all of us (except, maybe, British steel-workers).

I suspect Blair is doing something far less simplistic than that, Gervase. I doubt Blair, notwithstanding any public pronouncements he may make, is completely uncynical about Bush's motives. Equally, I doubt he was so near sighted as to not have considered all the possible ramifications of "hitching his star".

Whatever else I may think of him, I don't regard him as a fool (Now, Bush, say... *g*). Bush will leave power eventually. So will Blair. The American govt will still be there, though, & so will the British govt, and they'll still have to deal with each other. 'Special' relationship or not, I think the UK will still have a good relationship with the US once the war is over. France on the other hand is going to find dealing with America rather difficult, probably for decades...

If you could get a straight & honest answer out of Our Tone (Ha! As if!) I suspect you would find he doesn't like Shrub very much, that he doesn't trust his motives, & that he doesn't have any 'pathetic faith' in what benefit the UK might derive from all this.

Nor do I believe that Blair believes that this is the 'Right' thing to do. Like myself (& Gareth, DougR, Teribus and others in the "Let's get on with it" camp would probably agree), I reckon he views war as the least bad option available. Not right, not good, just the least shit thing we can do right now.

Weapons inspections? If you take the ballpark figure of 1 million dead over 12 years of sanctions & repression as a running average, about 228 Iraqis have been dying every day. So 10 days of weapons inspections inflicts the same civilian casulaties as the last Gulf War did...

Where has everyone's Bleeding Consciences been for the last 12 years then (mine as well)? What's an effective alternative to war? Because weapons inspections & sanctions haven't been it! I asked this question 8 days ago - still haven't had an answer from any of you peaceniks.

I don't want a war either - I just don't see any alternative. This is, IMHO, the right decision; if, quite possibly, for the wrong reasons... :(