The Orbis

Photo by Chuck Kennedy/KRT Tony Blair (left) listens as President Bush speaks during a press conference at the White House on Sept. 17 [Click to enlarge]

Americans may have forgotten that allegedly there was an actual reason for fighting the war in Iraq: weapons of mass destruction. However, the British do remember this and Tony Blair is paying for it.

The British prime minister has been in the hot seat for months owing to the lack of evidence of WMD in Iraq. As the leader of the United States' closest ally in the war, Blair has been grilled by Parliament many times about taking his country to war when a majority of the population.

The inquiries have led to the mysterious suicide of scientist Dr. David Kelly in the Ministry of Defense and the resignation of Blair's communications chief, Alistair Campbell. The British public is calling for accountability and politicians predict that the Labour Party will fall out of favor in the next election.

Blair and his party continue to suffer in Parliament. The Rail, Transport and Maritime Union General Secretary Bob Crow said, "Blair took us to war for oil, and he lied to us about the weapons of mass destruction," according to the BBC.

Not only did his WMD excuse for war fall through, but the BBC also reported that Blair chose to ignore intelligence that said military action to topple Saddam Hussein would increase the risk of terrorists acquiring chemical and biological weapons.

This same intelligence was the basis for the recent mock terrorist attack held in one of London's largest subway stations.

Blair's statement that Iraq would be able to deploy WMD in as little as 45 minutes was the largest falsehood to catch the attention of the public when he imparted to the nation his reasons for going to war against Iraq.

Further investigations have shown that Blair can no longer justify having gone to war to the satisfaction of his people It remains unclear whether he will be re-elected.

But wait: Bush made the exact same claims; it was even his idea to start the war!

The people of the United States seem to have forgotten that this war was fought under false pretenses; as a result, Bush's approval ratings are high and his re-election outlook is good. Bush has begun his re-election campaign in full force, and plans to raise $200 million.

So what accounts for this difference in the two nations mentalities? Europeans may chalk it up to American greed and narcissism, but it really has to do with cultural vs. political structure differences.

The British parliamentary structure is very different from that of the U.S. Congress since the prime minister has much more power in choosing his government. Since British citizens place so much power in one leader, they must trust him immensely.

Additionally, since Blair's claims have not been backed by evidence, he has, in effect, lied. The British public does not take kindly to being lied to by a man who has called upon their trust time and time again; that is why Blair's political position is so precarious right now.

Americans, on the other hand, are quite used to being lied to by their politicians. Take Bill Clinton, who lied about having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, only to confess later. Yet, he is one of U.S. citizens' favorite presidents.

President George H.W. Bush said, "Read my lips, no new taxes," during his campaign, only to raise taxes during his term as president.

Clearly, U.S. citizens realize that what is said in Washington is not what they are going to get. Good old American cynicism.

The treatment of Bush and the treatment of Tony Blair are worlds apart, and it is extremely surprising since both claimed to be fighting for the same thing: to bring down Saddam Hussein.

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