I was just watching the British House of Commons Debate on War with Iraq, which is where Tony Blair spoke yesterday. I really like the way the British Parlament is set up. Everyone is squeezed into this one little room, people cheer and jeer, and anyone can inturrupt the speaker at any time to bring up counter points, agreements, etc, which the speaker can then comment on. It's much more refreshing than when the President speaks and everyone just stands up and claps every 30 seconds at anything he says.

I also think I've learned more in the half hour I've been watching Blair speak than in the last six months of hearing Bush speak (or anyone else on the news for that matter). Blair is a great orator, and quite quick witted with his responses. I can only imagine Bush in this forum. He wouldn't survive 2 minutes.

You can also tell Blair is passionate about his convictions in this matter. Here you have half of his party booing him, yet he lays out rather well why he thinks what he does. He does it with a way in which you know he's done his homework because he's not stating everything matter-of-factly, but rather does bring in the opposing side's arguments, but then asks some hard quesitons about them for others to chew on. Again, very refreshing from Bush's hard line, over dramatic approach to everything.

While I still don't think a war is neccesarily needed, I can understand better now why people like Blair feel the way they do about the situation, which up until now just didn't make sense to me. I think there's a better way than using force, but I don't know what that better way is. Still, I feel better informed now, and can see the pros and cons of both sides of the arguement. And that's probably a good thing.