Andrew Sullivan asks the question. For a while he seems to be going with the realpolitik view…
“It has vaulted the British prime minister into the position of being the most influential global actor after the American president. This means he has unequalled clout with the president, but it also means he has unusually large influence with other world leaders. In Blair’s dealings abroad, from outreach to Russia and Pakistan and France, Blair speaks with far greater impact because of his tightness with Washington.”
…but then he stumbles off into la-la-land:
“Perhaps it’s his Christian faith, shared with Bush, that acknowledges that there are times when evil cannot be appeased, ignored or simply forgotten, but must be confronted. But both men clearly hold that there are times when political leaders must do things simply because they are the right and moral thing to do, that there are moments when conscience matters, in fact, when conscience is the only thing that matters.”
Worth a read, nevertheless. (Via Radio Free Blogistan)