Blair in Jerusalem

To paraphrase Hannah Arendt, though I'm guessing that Eichmann was more honest in Jerusalem than Blair was in either Palestine or his stupid book. (Nope, I haven't read it. I mentioned before that I use the word "stupid" as a substitute for the f-word).

Blair was in occupied Palestine just recently promoting zionist victory over the natives and neighbours of that country. And he was in America after that to promote his stupid book, presumably because no UK bookshop dared have him given the protests that would ensue.

The Jewish Chronicle in the UK reported that whilst in Palestine

Former British prime minster Tony Blair nailed his colours firmly to the mast of Israel and democracy [!!!] this week in a stunning address to press, politicians and diplomats in Herzliya.

Speaking in his capacity as official envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, Mr Blair challenged critics of Israel not to apply double standards to the Jewish state.

Unbelievable, stunning even. This was days before the publication of his book in which he claims he has cried for the dead in Iraq. Isn't that a double standard? Israel couldn't hope to get away with its persistent war crimes in and around Palestine if it wasn't for the double standards it benefits from. And Blair is the "official envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East". I'm guessing it was a freudian slip that had the JC omitting final insult, peace, from Blair's latest job title.

Oh, on the crying over Iraq thing, did I mention I had a letter published in today's Guardian? Someone in The Guardian claimed that Blair had "admitted" to crying over Iraq. Here's my response: 

I am always suspicious when journalists write of admissions rather than claims by politicians. So it is with Nicholas Watt writing that Blair "admits to shedding many tears at the loss of so many lives" in Iraq. If Blair was making a claim that diminished rather than enhanced his reputation, then to say he had "admitted" to something would be appropriate. But if he is making a claim that humanises himself, in spite of all that we now know, then to say he has "admitted" to anything is to participate in his self-exculpation.

Mark Elf

Dagenham, Essex

Ooh! "Self-exculpation". Well the spell-checker never chucked it out so I ran with it.

There's an awful lot of tosh in The Independent about Blair too, but they didn't publish my letter. They did publish several others in response to a wretched piece of nonsense by Blair biographer, John Rentoul. The piece is sub-titled,

Nothing he can say in his book today will stop the flow; the anger against him exists at a deeper level, impervious to reasoned argument, certainly from him

The problem that Blair is a transparent self-seeking bare-faced liar clearly hasn't occurred to Mr Rentoul or it has and he is of the same ilk. None of the letters agree with Rentoul so I'm dreading tomorrow when "balance" might kick in.