No surprises: Blair off the hook again

AFP | July 14 2004

London - British Prime Minister Tony Blair, cleared on Wednesday by a government-appointed inquiry of exaggerating intelligence to justify war on Iraq, has once again lived up to his nickname of "Teflon Tony".

But, forced into a corner over Iraq, Blair is certainly not the once-indisputable authority he was and resignation calls could return to haunt him if his ruling Labour Party were to lose two crucial by-elections later this week.

After Wednesday's report lambasted the state of British intelligence on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, Blair accepted responsibility but still insisted the war to remove Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had been right.

But it remains doubtful whether the public, or perhaps more importantly Labour, will see Lord Robin Butler's findings as the end of the issue.

One thing is for sure - the prime minister's credibility, once the envy of the world's most powerful leaders, has been severely damaged.

Just over seven years after he swept to power, bringing Labour back from 18 years in opposition, Blair finds himself slumping badly in opinion polls and plagued by speculation his finance minister Gordon Brown would be a better man for the top job.

Blair was the staunchest international supporter of US President George W Bush's invasion to remove Saddam and sent 45 000 soldiers to Iraq.

Nonetheless, he has always faced an uphill struggle to convince the British public that the war was necessary and, increasingly, that he is the man to lead Labour to renewed victory in a general election expected next year.

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