Dinner for Two -- With Tony or Jane?

Earlier this month British Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed his nation about his resignation. Blair, whose poll numbers are very low due primarily to Iraq, looked the camera straight in the eye and said that every decision he made while in office came from a sincere effort to do what was best for his country. Blair touched his heart when he said that. Watching him across the ocean, I believed Tony Blair.

That same evening, I stumbled across Jane Fonda on CNN, her second home. Ms. Fonda looked glassy-eyed as she rambled on about being in love — this time it was real — you know the drill.

I was about to switch off when Larry King abruptly changed the subject and asked Fonda about Iraq. The actress pursed her lips and launched into the "Bush lied" routine. Her thesis was that macho men got us into the war to bolster their manhood. She ended her diatribe by saying that all the leaders who supported Iraq were afraid of "premature evacuation."

Of course Tony Blair is one of those leaders.

There is no question in my mind that President Bush had no plan "B" when the Iraqi people decided not to fight for their freedom after Saddam fell. That is the crux of the mess in Iraq. If the Iraqis had cooperated with America and Britain the way the Kuwaitis did when we liberated them after the first Gulf War, President Bush and Tony Blair would have been riding high. But the Iraqis did not.

Instead, many Iraqis embraced ancient hatreds and corruption, and some even cooperated with al Qaeda. The ensuing chaos and death is heartbreaking to those of us who believe Iraq could be a free nation, if only the people had the will.

So the struggle in Iraq was a tactical failure on the part of the Bush administration, and Tony Blair got caught up in it.

But to Jane Fonda and the "blame America" first cadre, it's all about "lies."

The striking thing about comparing Jane Fonda, Sean Penn, Rosie O'Donnell, et al to Tony Blair is the demeanor factor. I mean, put your politics aside for a moment, who do you want to have dinner with, Blair or Fonda?

Growing up in Levittown, N.Y., there was always vigorous debate in the neighborhood over everything. In the sixth grade I remember my class divided over John F. Kennedy or Richard Nixon. But nobody hated anybody. We all kicked it around and remained friends. Which, of course, is the American way.

But gimlet-eyed Jane and her crew despise people with whom they disagree and routinely assign them sinister motives. And instead of being called on it, these far-left fanatics actually are accepted in many quarters and glorified in much of the media.

Well, I'm tired of it. Jane Fonda, Rosie O'Donnell and the other irresponsible America haters should be ashamed of themselves. I mean, is there a rational person on earth who believes President Bush, Prime Minister Blair and Secretary of State Colin Powell purposely lied to the world in order to remove Saddam Hussein? If you believe that, you need to see somebody.

The bottom line on this is that there are Americans who despise their country and, increasingly, they are becoming accepted. This makes me queasy. And that comes from the heart.

Let me ask you this simple question. If you could have dinner with Jane Fonda or Tony Blair, which one would you pick? If each told you something, which one would you tend to believe?

Veteran TV news anchor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor" and author of the book "Culture Warrior." To find out more about Bill O'Reilly, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. This column originates on the Web site www.billoreilly.com.

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