He is a strong, self-confident person, a gifted orator, and the author of the Third Way, between capitalism and socialism. He turned from Protestantism to Catholicism. He is the head of the International Quartet, tasked with finding a solution to the Palestinian issue. He is a lecturer in religion, and a good friend of George Bush. He is a Wasp, and a hero of the Iraq war, who was caught in a lie once again but emerged from the confrontation with even more self-confidence. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair appeared before the [Chilcott] Commission, which is investigating the Iraq war. He knew that he was not before a court, and that the commission's prerogatives were limited to drawing lessons “for history.” Blair had to answer questions that he had long avoided over the last six years. The commission asked him nothing that he was not accustomed to hearing. He was confronted with no document with which he was unfamiliar. He was not dragged into clarifying his relationship with President George Bush. The session was like those in the House of Commons, at question time: the questions, as well as the answers, were ready beforehand. The only difference is that the MPs make such sessions energetic, as well as funny and passionate, while the Chilcott Commission's sessions were serious and formal, like a court, especially since some of the families of soldiers killed in Iraq were present. All of the questions and answers allowed Blair to repeat things that we have heard before, in Parliament and his media appearances. He repeated that he decision to participate in the war because it was a just conflict; he denied that he “signed in blood with Bush” to endorse the invasion of Iraq. The story of Weapons of Mass Destruction and the legitimacy of the war without United Nations approval did not differ from what we have come to know in his earlier statements. The answers about the goal of occupying Iraq were the same. At some times, it was to rid the world of WMD; at others, it was to bring down a regime that threatened world peace. The Chilcott Commission failed to clarify the reasons for Blair's decision to participate in the war. It failed to deduce – even deduce! – the reasons for paying this high price for a war that has only brought destruction, threatened world peace, generated terror and allowed Iran to extend its influence to the entire Gulf, while Britain and the United States claimed it would be about containing “a rogue state and a member of the axis of evil.” The commission gave Blair another opportunity to ascend a stage and play the role of the innocent man who was determined to see peace prevail. The commission believed what Blair said and left his dissembling to the judgment of history. It appeared to be complicit with him. However, outside the building where Blair gave his testimony, it is a different story. The British people have rendered their judgment on their former prime minister. Eight out of ten people say that he lied in his justification for the war, and continues to lie. However, the people's verdict carries with it no punishment. Blair will return to his post as the head of the International Quartet. The British are unable to hold him accountable, while the Arabs are unwilling to demand his ouster. He swaggers along, happy with what he has done. The investigation in London seemed to be taking place in a third world country, where the public opinion has no leverage, and justice is always to the benefit of influential people.
