The Blair Switch Project

During the five minute news roundup on Morning Edition I heard Karl Casell saying that Tony Blair, in his latest remarks on the Middle East, "advocated reaching out to Iran and Syria." This is quite a distortion of Blair's retreaded speech on the Middle East. Here is the part of his "reaching out" speech regarding Iran and Syria:

Instead they are using the pressure points in the region to thwart us. So they help the most extreme elements of Hamas in Palestine; Hizbollah in the Lebanon; Shia militia in Iraq. That way, they put obstacles in the path to peace, paint us, as they did over the Israel/Lebanon conflict, as the aggressors, inflame the Arab street and create political turmoil in our democratic politics.

It is a perfectly straightforward and clear strategy. It will only be defeated by an equally clear one: to relieve these pressure points one by one and then, from a position of strength to talk, in a way I described in July in my speech in Los Angeles: offer Iran a clear strategic choice: they help the MEPP [Middle East Peace Process] not hinder it; they stop supporting terrorism in Lebanon or Iraq; and they abide by, not flout, their international obligations. In that case, a new partnership is possible. Or alternatively they face the consequences of not doing so: isolation.

Basically the message is for Syria and Iran to fully accept the US interpretations and policies in Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon or "face the consequences." What a offer.