Tony Blair may be the first victim of friendly fire in the war against Iraq. That’s how one British MP’s summing up the Prime Minister’s predicament. By joining with the United States and taking a hard line against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Blair is defying British public opinion and many in his own party. He may have also made a promise he can’t keep.
Blair originally said he would get a second security council resolution before committing British troops to war. Now his government is demanding it, his foreign minister is doing everything he can to secure it, but France and other members of the Security Council are not cooperating. Soon Blair may be forced to choose between his support for the U.S. and his own political future.
Guests:
Graham Allen, Member of Parliament, Labour
Matthew Parris, political columnist, The Times of London
Timothy Garton, director of the European Studies Centre at St. Antony’s College at Oxford University.