Tony Blair, in a simply astounding speech, lays everything on the line about the War on Terror, spelling out in crystal-clear detail the link between tyranny, Islamic extremism, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, September 11th, myopic “anti-war” movements, and ossified international institutions. He gently but righteously upbraids his critics for ignoring the real issue at hand. He points out that our invasion of Iraq has not only brought the hope for democracy into one of the most Godforsaken regions on earth but given new strength to our efforts to root out terror, tyranny, and especially the proliferation of mass-mudering weapons in countries like Libya, North Korea, and Iran. He rejects the conservative definition of sovereignty proffered by the outdated Treaty of Westphalia and now inexplicably embraced by so-called liberals and libertarians. He refuses to back down on this, the most important issue facing humanity today.
It’s an enormously uplifting speech for people, like me, who think free societies should use their collective might to free other societies–a cause one would think the liberals and libertarians I speak with here in my corner of the internet every day would support with all their hearts. Why don’t they? I wish I knew.
I also wish I had a President who could articulate these ideals so clearly, who could set the terms of the debate so strongly, who could overcome the cries of “move on” and “you lied” with such incandescent strength and vision. I wish I had a President who fought for these ideals at home as well as abroad. Regardless of who wins our upcoming election, these things seem unlikely. But here in my little corner of the internet, and in my own life, I’m going to try to do these things myself, as best I can.