Did you see the Prime Minister on TV last night? -- How Tony Blair Handled It.

The British prime minister showed respect for his constituents by not glossing over the war in Iraq and by not scorning those who consider it a terrible mistake.

From a 9-30-04 N.Y. Times editorial:

Watching Tony Blair is always instructive for Americans, and sometimes the source of envy. He faces much the same political conundrum as President Bush - a war gone wrong in a charged political season - with the added fillip that he followed Mr. Bush's lead into Iraq. But Prime Minister Blair has acknowledged the validity of the criticism he faces, and he is also not pretending that things in Iraq are humming along on schedule. "I entirely understand why many disagree," he said at the annual meeting of his Labor Party on Tuesday.