Tony Blair talking about Iraq today:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6385137.stm
He said he bore no responsibility nor would he apologise for the "terrible" security situation in Iraq.
"I don't think we should be apologising because we're not causing the terrorism.
"It's being caused by internal extremists who are linking up with external extremists. And 80-90% of that violence is in or around Baghdad and it's being caused deliberately in order to stop the government of Iraq - which 12 million people voted for - from functioning."
He added: "although the situation is terrible...we should be immensely proud of the work we are doing to try to help Iraq get on it's feet and be the country it's people want it to be."
Mr Blair dismissed suggestions coalition forces had been unprepared for the aftermath of war, particularly the sectarian violence.
"There was no way that the Iraqi police force that was there under Saddam was going to be able to keep order in the country properly.
"They were an instrument of Saddam's dictatorship and therefore you were always going to have to build the Iraq police and army from scratch.
"That was what we were going to have to do.
My personal favourite:
"Now, you can argue about - and I've already been back over it myself - about whether you could disbanded the army differently and so forth, but it isn't the principle reason you've got a problem in Iraq.
"The principle reason you've got a problem is as I say because there are elements deliberately giving you that problem," Mr Blair said.
There was a time when Blair was really popular in the US. How's his profile now?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6385137.stm
He said he bore no responsibility nor would he apologise for the "terrible" security situation in Iraq.
"I don't think we should be apologising because we're not causing the terrorism.
"It's being caused by internal extremists who are linking up with external extremists. And 80-90% of that violence is in or around Baghdad and it's being caused deliberately in order to stop the government of Iraq - which 12 million people voted for - from functioning."
He added: "although the situation is terrible...we should be immensely proud of the work we are doing to try to help Iraq get on it's feet and be the country it's people want it to be."
Mr Blair dismissed suggestions coalition forces had been unprepared for the aftermath of war, particularly the sectarian violence.
"There was no way that the Iraqi police force that was there under Saddam was going to be able to keep order in the country properly.
"They were an instrument of Saddam's dictatorship and therefore you were always going to have to build the Iraq police and army from scratch.
"That was what we were going to have to do.
My personal favourite:
"Now, you can argue about - and I've already been back over it myself - about whether you could disbanded the army differently and so forth, but it isn't the principle reason you've got a problem in Iraq.
"The principle reason you've got a problem is as I say because there are elements deliberately giving you that problem," Mr Blair said.
There was a time when Blair was really popular in the US. How's his profile now?
