Blair Revisits What Will Be His Legacy: Iraq

by Jordan Yerman | May 19, 2007 at 01:03 pm

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Like him or loathe him, Tony Blair has indeed changed the face of Britain. His domestic acheivements and failures, however, are eclipsed by his complicity in the invasion of Iraq. In the twilight of his leadership, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair paid tribute to the troops he sent to Iraq, even as mortar shells rocked the building in which he spoke.

Tony Blair made an emotional tribute to British troops during his seventh and probably final visit to Iraq as PM.

He told servicemen and women at the British HQ in Basra, southern Iraq, that they were doing "brilliant" work.

Minutes later, two mortars exploded, rocking the building - which typically receives two such attacks a day.

Earlier, Mr Blair also brushed aside mortar attacks on Baghdad's Green Zone just as he arrived. He hailed "signs of change and progress" in Iraq.

Both the Basra headquarters and Green Zone occupy large areas and come under frequent attack.

He stayed on-message, telling his audience,

"The question is, what are we going to do in the face of these attacks?" he asked, according to the statement. "The answer is, we don't give in to them."