# Tony Blair is unbelievable! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 15, 2014, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809 "2014-06-15T06:39:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/21 "2014-06-16T06:28:05Z")
Focusing on one of Blair’s offerings: > [@](#): > > The first is there was no WMD risk from Saddam and therefore the casus belli was wrong. What we now know from Syria is that Assad, without any detection from the West, was manufacturing chemical weapons. We only discovered this when he used them. We also know, from the final weapons inspectors reports, that though it is true that Saddam got rid of the physical weapons, he retained the expertise and capability to manufacture them. Is it likely that, knowing what we now know about Assad, Saddam, who had used chemical weapons against both the Iranians in the 1980s war that resulted in over 1m casualties and against his own people, would have refrained from returning to his old ways? Surely it is at least as likely that he would have gone back to them. Blair seems to be making the argument that Assad had secret WMD programs so it was reasonable to assume Saddam might have had them too. But Blair is ignoring a crucial distinction: Iraq was the site of ongoing international inspections after 1991. And we now know that these inspections worked. Saddam was unable to develop any secret WMD programs. So comparing Saddam’s situation to Assad’s is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/22 "2014-06-16T10:48:30Z")
Since when was Assad’s chemical weapon program secret? More importantly, why should it have been secret, other than the obvious operational reasons? It wasn’t in violation of any treaty. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/23 "2014-06-16T14:50:55Z")
Wait. Who’s Tony Blair, again? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/24 "2014-06-16T15:53:48Z")
Not “Who is Tony Blair?” so much as “Who was Tony Blair?” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/25 "2014-06-16T16:14:15Z")
Wasn’t he, like, 4th runner up on\* American Idol\* a few season back? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/26 "2014-06-16T18:23:17Z")
He’s the baseball player who just died, right? Class act. I can’t believe some asshole would pit him. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/27 "2014-06-16T18:31:54Z")
I think he played that kid on that show. He was the middle brother, I think. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/28 "2014-06-16T18:37:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Tony Blair is unbelievable! _The things you say, your purple prose just gives you away…_ ETA: Why should I be the only one with this earworm? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/29 "2014-06-16T18:52:22Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > W is more smart than he is. Just can’t let it go from the spank bank. > [@Malacandra](#): > > Absurdly lazy OP though. Just like **Brainglutton**. > [@Malacandra](#): > > I shouldn’t have to, you mouth-breathing waste of oxygen. If you want to Pit someone then spend at least five minutes stating up front what you’re pitting, Unlike **Brainglutton**. > [@](#): > > not just link to something and say “This is teh stoopid, amirite?” Just like **Brainglutton.** > [@Frank](#): > > You couldn’t be bothered to explain what you were Pitting. If it matters so little to you that you can’t be bothered to go to the trouble of typing out your problems with Blair’s essay, why the fuck should I be bothered to do your work for you? Just like **Brainglutton**. > [@Alessan](#): > > What he’s saying, counselor, is that you may have submitted evidence, but you failed to make an argument. Just like **Brainglutton**. > [@Acsenray](#): > > It’s a _good_ OP’s burden to start a discussion of some kind by setting forth an argument or opinion with examples Unlike **Brainglutton**. > [@](#): > > instead of just offering a link. Just like **Brainglutton**. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > BTW, OP, don’t get the idea that you’re being singled out or picked on over this. There are a number of posters who display the same failing, and are usually called out on it quite quickly. Like **Brainglutton**. > [@](#): > > It is to be hoped that you will accept correction, see the error of your ways, and NOT become that type of poster. Unlike **Brainglutton**. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/30 "2014-06-17T18:17:33Z")
**AK84** , you seem to think anybody reading your link will unquestionably come to the same conclusion as you. If somebody questions you, they instantly become a Blair crony and are therefore your enemy. You’ve been here 6 years. Haven’t you noticed by now that no Doper will swallow anything without wanting details first? What is it about Blair’s essay do you find disagreeable? I’m still not sure what got your panties in a wad. I’ve never lived in the UK, so I don’t really know what makes Blair beloved or behated by the UKsters. I read the essay, and I think his main point was that Islamic extremists have to be contended with one way or another. I sure as hell don’t want the US et al back in Iraq, but we may have no choice if the extremists take power. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/31 "2014-06-17T18:22:39Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Just can’t let it go from the spank bank. > > Just like **Brainglutton**. > > Unlike **Brainglutton**. > > Just like **Brainglutton.** > > Just like **Brainglutton**. > > Just like **Brainglutton**. > > Unlike **Brainglutton**. > > Just like **Brainglutton**. > > Like **Brainglutton**. > > Unlike **Brainglutton**. 99% of the time, I just scan through posts without ever bothering to notice the usernames attached to each one. But I swear that at least a dozen times a week, I’ll run across a post so breathtakingly stupid that I need to scroll back up and see who managed to shit it out. Nearly every single time that happens, I see the name “Drunky Smurf”. It’s quite astonishing…almost as if it’s being done on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/32 "2014-06-18T04:07:37Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > instead of just offering a link. > > Just like **Brainglutton**. No, **Brainglutton** usually quotes a wall of text too. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/33 "2014-06-18T04:36:19Z")
Blair should be sentenced to a life biopic and have Pierce Brosnan portray him as a smug, smarmy, oily, dishonest and dishonorable politician. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/34 "2014-06-19T11:36:30Z")
What the fuck are you guys on about? **Malacandra** didn’t make a good pitting at all. He extremely overreacted to something extremely small. Not even I overreact that much. A good pitting has anger that actually matches the offense. Someone telling you to go read a fucking link should not inspire that much anger in a mentally healthy person. Yes, the OP should have explained himself better. But Malacandra wanted the OP to quote part of the essay so he wouldn’t have to read the whole thing. His post was a fucking TL;DR post. Anyone who posts any TL;DR post deserves to be mocked a bit. That shit doesn’t fly on Yahoo Answers. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/35 "2014-06-19T11:39:40Z")
Aaaaand, here comes BigT, several days late, to scold people for their ungentlemanly behavior. At least you’ve carved out a niche for yourself. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/36 "2014-06-19T12:00:28Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > What the fuck are you guys on about? **Malacandra** didn’t make a good pitting at all. He extremely overreacted to something extremely small. Not even I overreact that much. A good pitting has anger that actually matches the offense. Someone telling you to go read a fucking link should not inspire that much anger in a mentally healthy person. > > Yes, the OP should have explained himself better. But Malacandra wanted the OP to quote part of the essay so he wouldn’t have to read the whole thing. His post was a fucking TL;DR post. Anyone who posts any TL;DR post deserves to be mocked a bit. That shit doesn’t fly on Yahoo Answers. Oh, ffs. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/37 "2014-06-19T16:03:51Z")
A Steve Bell goodie. [http://wallstreetjackass.typepad.com/raptureready/images/steve\_bell\_iraq\_1.jpg](http://wallstreetjackass.typepad.com/raptureready/images/steve_bell_iraq_1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/38 "2014-06-20T05:49:33Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Yes, the OP should have explained himself better. But Malacandra wanted the OP to quote part of the essay so he wouldn’t have to read the whole thing. His post was a fucking TL;DR post. Anyone who posts any TL;DR post deserves to be mocked a bit. That shit doesn’t fly on Yahoo Answers. Wait, Yahoo Answers is the gold standard against which we should be judging the quality of discussions here on the Dope? And in the _Pit_? Isn’t that like saying you wish Cafe Society were more like the comments on YouTube? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/39 "2014-06-20T07:28:02Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > What the fuck are you guys on about? **Malacandra** didn’t make a good pitting at all. He extremely overreacted to something extremely small. Not even I overreact that much. A good pitting has anger that actually matches the offense. Someone telling you to go read a fucking link should not inspire that much anger in a mentally healthy person. > > Yes, the OP should have explained himself better. But Malacandra wanted the OP to quote part of the essay so he wouldn’t have to read the whole thing. His post was a fucking TL;DR post. Anyone who posts any TL;DR post deserves to be mocked a bit. That shit doesn’t fly on Yahoo Answers. **Malacandra** first just pointed out the laziness of the OP and suggested what could be done to correct it. Sure it’s a TL;DR post, but an appropriate one given that the OP has neither quoted anything nor even given any argument. I may as well start a thread “OMG the EU constitution is bullshit ([link](http://www.proyectos.cchs.csic.es/euroconstitution/library/Lisbon%20Treaty/Tratado%20de%20Lisboa/Treaty%20of%20Lisbon%20consolidated%20version.pdf))”. The rant only came after **AK84** accused him/her of being a Blair supporter simply by virtue of criticizing the quality of the OP. _That_ shit doesn’t fly. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809/40 "2014-06-20T09:25:59Z")
O noes, I has been schooled by **BigT**. :cries: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tony-blair-is-unbelievable/690809.md?page=3)