Man of the hour

I have written an article for The New Republic Online entitled "Man of the Hour: Tony Blair will Make a Good Middle East Envoy". The title is self-explanatory, and may be compared with the views of the director of research at Chatham House ("it's a most unfortunate idea") and Robert Fisk ("I simply could not believe my ears"), whom I quote. The link requires registration for the site, which is free.

UPDATE: Sorry; my mistake: the article is in fact behind a subscription barrier. But take it from me: Blair is the man. My more general reflection is that in office, he was a great statesman and radical, above all for holding to the conviction that oppressive regimes are illegitimate rather than facts of political life. I doubt there will be a prime minister in my lifetime more worthy of respect.