Dan Rather apologized and no so did Tony Blair.
and GWB? Ah, he never does anything wrong, I forgot. ;-)


Blair Makes Partial Iraq Apology to Win Back Party
By Mike Peacock

BRIGHTON, England (Reuters) - Tony Blair offered his Labour party on
Tuesday a partial apology for waging war in Iraq, striving to pull angry
supporters behind him ahead of an election next year.

But as two more British soldiers died in Iraq and a hostage remained under
threat of death, the prime minister's hopes of drawing a line under two
years that have wrecked his public trust ratings are far from secure.

"The evidence about Saddam having actual biological and chemical
weapons ... has turned out to be wrong," Blair told Labour's annual
conference, his nearest yet to a "mea culpa."

"The problem is I can apologize for the information that turned out to be
wrong but I can't, sincerely at least, apologize for removing Saddam," he
said. "The world is a better place with Saddam in prison not in power."

Blair's speech was interrupted twice by protesters, one yelling that the
prime minister "had blood on his hands," others opposing a planned ban on
fox-hunting. They were bundled out of the hall.

IRAQ UNAVOIDABLE

For most of his speech, Blair showcased domestic policies he hopes will
deliver him a third term at an election expected in May. But he knew they
would not resonate, with the party or the wider public, if he did not
tackle Iraq head-on.

Blair made the case for war on the basis Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)
possessed banned weapons that were ready to use. The fact none has been
found well over a year after major military combat ended has soured British
public opinion and many in his party feel betrayed.

"Whatever disagreements we have had, we should unite in our determination
to stand by the Iraqi people until the job is done," he said, adding that
Britain could not insulate itself from world insecurity even if it wanted
to.

"If I don't care and act on this terrorist threat then the day will come
when all our good work on the issues that decide people's lives will be
undone because the stability on which our economy ... depends will vanish,"
he said.

The crowd applauded warmly. Skeptics were unconvinced but said the party
would unite to win a fresh term in power.

"I don't think this speech changed anything on Iraq," former minister Clare
Short, who resigned over the war, told Reuters. "Iraq will go on being a
mess but the party wants to win the election and will pull together for
that."

Blair acknowledged terrorism would never be defeated unless Israelis and
Palestinians were reconciled -- expressing frustration at a lack of
progress ahead of U.S. elections.

"After November, I will make its revival a personal priority. Two states,
Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in an enduring peace would do
more to defeat this terrorism than bullets alone can ever do," he said.

He expressed condolences for the two soldiers killed in Basra on Tuesday
and pledged "solidarity" with British engineer Kenneth Bigley, abducted by
militants 12 days ago.

Bigley's brother has accused Blair of not doing enough to appeal for his
release.

Outside, some 8,000 marchers staged a noisy protest on the seafront of this
southern seaside resort against the government's plan to ban the ancient
pursuit of fox hunting. The carcasses of two calves and a horse were dumped
in the city.

Blair stressed the election could only be won with a radical agenda, not
solely by resting on past achievements.

He also offered an olive branch to finance minister Gordon Brown, whose
supporters think he should have Blair's job by now.

Referring to incessant talk of a feud between the two, Blair said Brown
was "a personal friend for 20 years and the best chancellor this country
has ever had."

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