Today began Tony Blair's long goodbye. At a time when we are sorely hurting for global leaders who combine thought and power, vision and mission, he will be sorely missed. It's tragic that his own legacy will be tainted by his alliance with Bush and his foray into Iraq along with Bush. For tpmcafe readers, especially, Blair's farewell address to the Labour Party Conference today, on the website of the Guardian newspaper, is well-worth reading. It's beautiful, forecful prose--but it also makes an excellent case for Blairism, the vision that brought the British left back from the dead.

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