Blair's legacy will be defined by Iraq

Tony Blair's fall from political grace in Britain is rivaled only by our own president's descent into the legacy graveyard.

Blair's approval rating 10 years ago was an incredible 72 percent. Except for a slight rebound after 9-11, the British leader's poll numbers have consistently dropped to their current 28 percent.

Blair's low numbers put him on par with his predecessor, the disappointing John Major.

They also put him at nearly the same level as President George W. Bush, whose approval rating is hovering just above 30 percent.

Many pundits are already saying that the chief determinant of Blair's legacy will be the outcome of the war in Iraq. It seems to reason that if Blair's banking on the war to somehow make people feel better about his 10 years as Britain's prime minister he mine as well except the fact history will not look on him kindly.

It's a shame because Blair's time in office has not been without successes. Blair helped broker a peace agreement in Northern Ireland, Britain's economy has been very strong during the past decade, and he significantly increased government spending in both health and education. He also implemented a minimum wage in Britain.

But much like with our own president, when one thinks of Blair the first thing that comes to mind is Iraq. Blair seems destined to be one of those politicians who steals defeat from the jaws of victory by ruining a perfectly good record with a moment of bad judgment. Time will tell.

Blair said during his resignation speech about the war in Iraq: "I did what I thought was right."

It's scary how easy it is to imagine Bush saying the same thing in years to come.

By joining the U.S. in its invasion of Iraq, Blair, maybe unknowingly, attached his legacy to the outcome of that conflict.

He got aboard the Bush train, so to speak, and never jumped off, no matter how rough the going.

Blair paid the price as dearly as Bush and maybe more so in that many Brits see him as being a sellout to the U.S.

But Blair deserves credit for standing firm with the U.S. against terrorism and continuing to support the war in Iraq regardless of the political consequences for himself.

Oftentimes, the question that defines a leader's success is whether he or she has left their nation better than how they found it.

Under Blair's leadership, Britain has experienced a level of economic gain that it might not see again for years.

His improvement of that nation's health and education systems are equally noteworthy.

So when you think of Blair, realize there's more to the man than an unpopular war.

There will be plenty enough historians who will remember that one.