Forum L, I am obviously not a diplomat, but it's my belief that Britain is now the number two nation in the world, and may just be number one in moral standing, for the very reasons you have stated in your question; it had little to gain but it's soul. While it was Bush that made the decision to go, it was Blair who provided the compelling and heart-felt language that gave purpose to this endeavor, to both Britons and Americans.

As most politicians know, political capital must be spent to do any good. Clinton wasted his at every turn, but Bush used what little he had to turn the last elections into the bare mandate he needed. All of Europe and most of the world must bend a knee to Blair in order to get anything done on the world's stage. The French, Germans and Russians will never admit it, but they will not see Bush except through Blair. And while Thatcher made Britain a major player, on par with Reagan and Gorbachov, Blair has given moral force to the British view of things.

The UN has no credibility except through Blair. There will be conflicts resolved, economies changed and regions elevated through Blair's policies. He is far more liberal than Bush, but he has earned his place at the table, somtimes following, sometimes leading, but tested in the same furnace as Bush. And unlike Clinton, the Bushes value loyalty above all else.

The eternal shame is, that like Thatcher, (and Churchill) the Brits may be the only people not know what they have. The rest of the world does...