Man of the Year

Since I (and everyone else) won Time's Man of the Year this year, I would like to donate my award to Tony Blair. He hasn't been in the news much this year, but it's a long overdue award for the most articulate politician of our time and one of the few politicians I honestly admire.

For those with an interest in the Iraq and the war on terror, he has a must read piece in this Foreign Affairs.

Money quote:

This ideology has to be taken on -- and taken on everywhere. Islamist terrorism will not be defeated until we confront not just the methods of the extremists but also their ideas. I do not mean just telling them that terrorist activity is wrong. I mean telling them that their attitude toward the United States is absurd, that their concept of governance is prefeudal, that their positions on women and other faiths are reactionary. We must reject not just their barbaric acts but also their false sense of grievance against the West, their attempt to persuade us that it is others and not they themselves who are responsible for their violence.

Imagine how easy it would be for Blair to come out against the Iraq war and to criticize Bush. If he used his incredible articulation AGAINST the American project in Iraq he would be lionized as a hero - both in Europe and in the United States, by liberals and "realist" conservatives. But he hasn't. Because he's got courage and conviction. And that's why he's my man of the year. Close second: Frank Gore, running back on the 49ers.

Update: Another money quote...

In my nine years as prime minister, I have not become less idealistic or more cynical. I have simply become more persuaded that the distinction between a foreign policy driven by values and one driven by interests is wrong. Globalization begets interdependence, and interdependence begets the necessity of a common value system to make it work. Idealism thus becomes realpolitik.

The debate in America centers around the idea of "interest." Both sides claim Iraq is either not in our immediate interest or is key to our interests. But Blair frames the debate differently. He says clearly foreign policy should be dictated by values which are inseparable from interests.

I love American pragmatism. It is the greatest (and maybe only) addition to Western philosophy by America. We are a nation of pragmatists and I think it has a large part to do with our riches and our upstanding image in the world. But I think we give our values, at times, short shrift. American's won't stand for injustice and lies. And we forget that in some societies - particularly those in the Middle East - we are dealing with places where 2+2=5. Lying is embedded in the political culture. It is why so many Iraqis initially did not believe Uday and Qusay were dead. Now they know they are. As is Saddam.

It's hard to be happy about seeing a man die. But I hope it gives pause to Mubarack, Ahminijabad, Assad, and company, who can now see an alternative to their flimsy grasp of power. I hope they add the calculus of Saddam's fate into their own decision making. And I hope it makes Iraq heal.