OPINION & EDITORIAL
Blair’s approval rating up since war
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Wednesday, April 16, 2003
March 22, just days after the early stages of the disarming of Iraq commenced, the National Post of Canada editorialized about the leadership of British Prime Minister Tony Blair in contrast with their own Prime Minister, Jean Chretian.
They wrote, “But real leadership, of the type exhibited by Britain’s Tony Blair and Australia’s John Howard, sometimes demands bold positions at odds with public opinion. The public eventually comes around: Indeed, war support is rising daily in Britain. And by war’s end, Mr. Blair will have retained both his principles and his popularity.”
Aside from the fact that this forecast turned out to be remarkably accurate, the editorial writers also made excellent comments about leadership in general.
According to many political analysts that commented on the issue, Blair was committing political suicide by taking the stance that he did on the war. Indeed, all early indications seemed to show that these analysts might have a point. According to the Financial Times, Blair’s approval ratings before the war in March were at a scant 30 percent.
Even Blair himself seemed to know what he was facing. Several reporters at The Guardian wrote Feb. 22, “He (Blair) has admitted in the Commons that he is risking all, and in private he muses: ‘If they throw me out, they throw me out.’”
It’s important to realize why Blair did what he did. More importantly, all who hold or seek office should learn a lesson from the decision he made.
Over the years, leaders have slowly been replaced by politicians. While leaders make their decisions based on beliefs and principles, politicians make theirs based on polls and calculators.
A British diplomat quoted in the Feb. 5 issue of the Irish Times summarized one of the reasons for Blair’s low popularity by saying, “The French forgave Blair’s closeness to Clinton, but they can’t fathom why Tony Blair prefers a right-wing, fundamentalist Christian whom they see as a buffoon to his European partners.”
When push came to shove, Blair chose credibility and principle over popularity. He understood that the disarming of Saddam Hussein had to occur, regardless of who was leading the charge. He realized that to do otherwise would cause his country to be seen as nothing more than allies of convenience rather than as supporters of international security. After all, they had no trouble supporting former President Bill Clinton’s disingenuous attempts to solve the problems in Iraq back in 1998.
After coming to this conclusion and supporting President Bush’s efforts to disarm Iraq, Prime Minister Blair began using his powers of persuasion over the British people. He did not attempt to deceive or obfuscate — he simply explained his decision and ensured everyone that all efforts would be made to ensure the safety of the troops abroad.
As Blair did this, and as the war progressed, his popularity and support for the war has increased. According to the Financial Times, Blair now enjoys a 47 percent approval rating and a 44 percent disapproval rating.
I have never taken a political-science course, and I might be drifting into dangerous territory by attempting political analysis, but in this case, the reasons for Blair’s increased popularity seem quite clear. For years, true leadership has been hard to find. Whether they agree with him or not, people now respect Blair for making a thoughtful, principled decision. His supporters respect him because they know his words have truth and meaning. He says what he believes, not what he wants people to hear.
Vince Lombardi, who was a great leader of a great football team, once said, “Leadership rests not only upon ability, not only upon capacity; having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it. His leadership is then based on truth and character. There must be truth in the purpose and willpower in the character.” I often include this quotation in the signature of my e-mails, and I include it here because it perfectly summarizes the importance of truth, credibility and character in leadership.
Blair has shown that he understands the importance of this. Furthermore, his situation shows that, in due time, true leadership is often rewarded.
Mark Baumgardner (mbaumgardner@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in electrical engineering.
