It seems to me that any public figure like Blair has the job of projecting his countries current (if temporary) position on current affairs. That being granted, Blair said a lot of things which play well in the US right now. How well it works out, and how he integrates this stand with the rest of his policies and how he rates with his UK constiuency is beyond my ability to predict or understand.

I DO admire his ability to argue, explicate and hold his own in discussions..(we here in the US can see the appearances before the House of Commons where debate of a type unkown here rages....and where G.W. Bush would be eaten alive if he tried to emulate Blair's style!).....

in any case, it is nice to see a developing soldiarity on opposition to the Taliban from many quarters in the world, and I am happy that the UK is a leader in that regard.