Blair: Iraq was a quagmire. So let's bomb Iran!

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the one hand:

LONDON — Former British prime minister Tony Blair said he was "desperately sorry" over the deaths in the Iraq war, in extracts released Tuesday from his memoirs.

Blair said he was "sorry for the lives cut short", but maintained it was right to remove dictator Saddam Hussein from power, in extracts from "A Journey", his account of his decade in office.

He said the aftermath of the 2003 invasion was "terrible" and said he wept over the loss of life.

And former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on the other hand:

He said it was ''wholly unacceptable'' for Tehran to seek a nuclear weapons capability and insisted there could be ''no alternative'' to military force ''if they continue to develop nuclear weapons''.

Speaking to BBC journalist Andrew Marr, Mr Blair said: ''I am saying that I think it is wholly unacceptable for Iran to have a nuclear weapons capability and I think we have got to be prepared to confront them, if necessary militarily.

''I think there is no alternative to that if they continue to develop nuclear weapons. They need to get that message loud and clear.''

Actually, he could be right on both counts, but the juxtaposition of reports was striking.