Blair contemplates thinking

High speed backpeddling over Israel's invasion of Lebanon, coupled with some (re) thinking of the West's global anti-terrorism strategy: could this mark an awakening within the Blairite mind?

The poms are revolted and revolting:

Tony Blair will face down his critics today over his controversial handling of the Middle East crisis by insisting that he has been working throughout for a ceasefire in Lebanon and that his position has been misunderstood.

...

Mr Blair has being criticised publicly and privately by ministers and senior backbenchers, and has antagonised most members of the EU as well as the United Nations secretariat.

It emerged yesterday that he ignored not only the advice of the Foreign Office but foreign affairs specialists in Downing Street, who argued that the Israeli offensive was counter-productive and favoured a call for an immediate ceasefire.

Nothing new there. But not only is he backpeddling and clarifying his position in relation to the current carnage, he's starting to exhibit signs of reflection in relation to his Iraq-War-supporting hubris:

Tony Blair has called for a "complete renaissance" of the West's strategy to defeat militant Islam.

Speaking in Los Angeles, Mr Blair admitted the use of force alone had alienated Muslim opinion and there was now an "arc of extremism" stretching across the Middle East and beyond.

He called for an "alliance of moderation" that would combat terrorism using values as much as military might.

On a day when at least 52 people were killed in attacks in Iraq - and four British soldiers were killed by insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq - Mr Blair's words were an apparent admission that the use of military force alone had failed.

He must have belatedly picked up the copy of the UK Times in which your scribe, randomly interviewed in a pub in Angel Islington, got a sub-heading on page 5 with the quote

"It's been all stick and no carrot since 9/11".

Happy to be at Her Majesty's service.