Blair's Burden

The Economist has always taken a mostly neocon-ish line toward Iraq. And its leader in the wake of the London bombing was no exception. Doing its part to huff, puff, and fluff Prime Minister Tony Blair into Churchillian proportions, the weekly asked if the terror attacks might undercut British resolve to keep troops in Iraq. The answer: “Far likelier, the attacks will reinforce the case for pressing on with the long-term task, as defined by Mr. Blair: the establishment of a stable democracy in Iraq, peace between Israel and Palestine, and democratic reform elsewhere in the Middle East.”

In other news, Prime Minister Lord North declared that the Redcoats’ defeat at Saratoga would make King George III and his loyal English subjects all the more determined to bring the rebellious colonists back into the fold. Also, in the wake of the disappointing results of the first day of the Somme Offensive, Prime Minister Herbert Asquith and King George V issued a joint statement expressing complete confidence in Sir Douglas Haig’s military judgment.