Today's Daily Schadenfreude: Tony Blair

You know, I remember not that long ago that Tony Blair and Bill Clinton were rather close professionally, and perhaps even personally. Sidney Blumenthal goes into quite a bit of detail about the Blair-Clinton relationship in his book The Clinton Wars.

But for whatever reason, Blair made the serious tactical error of aligning himself with Drunky McStagger, and now he's paying the political price.

A report released today by a London think-tank certainly didn't pull any punches in their criticism of Blair:

[The think-tank] Chatham House concluded that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was a "terrible mistake" leading to a "debacle" that will have repercussions on policy for years.

"The root failure (of Blair's foreign policy) has been the inability to influence the Bush administration in any significant way despite the sacrifice -- military, political and financial -- that the United Kingdom has made," the report said.

"Tony Blair has learned the hard way that loyalty in international politics counts for very little," it said.

Blair, like his doppelgänger/BFF Drunky, doggedly held onto "stay the course" in Iraq, and look where it's getting him:

Blair has been forced to say he will step down next year after a decade in power, partly in response to public and Labor Party anger over his unflagging support for the Iraq war.

Well, Tony, you reap what you sow, old chap. But here's your consolation prize: Congratulations! This Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!