Wednesday, September 27, 2006
SILENCE HEARD
The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland—senior operative behind Operation Clark County—on Tony Blair’s farewell speech:
Yesterday Blair also offered a reminder of why he had to leave - and why they will be relieved when he has.
It came in the passage about international affairs. Suddenly the applause died as the prime minister announced that terrorism is unconnected to foreign policy, and only enemy propaganda would say otherwise. Blair is one of the very few people left on the planet who still believes this: even the CIA now concedes that the invasion of Iraq has fuelled terrorism rather than curbed it. So when Blair said that a withdrawal from Iraq or Afghanistan would be “a craven act of surrender”, he said it to silence.
Really? Reader BB sends this video link to Blair’s speech, and suggests we check out “the specific example Freedman gives of a ‘silence’ after the phrase ‘craven surrender’.”
UPDATE. Jim C.:
The short video is edited, so it’s not necessarily accurate. However, there is a link to the full speech on that same page.
The relevant parts occur at about 36 and 39 minutes into the speech. There’s definitely applause there.
Freedland is a liar.