Blair defends legacy at Iraq inquiry

Almost seven years after he ordered British troops to join the American-led invasion of Iraq, former Prime Minister Tony Blair mounted an unwavering defense of his actions on Friday, saying he would take the same steps again to counter what he depicted as a threat from Saddam Hussein that had assumed far greater dimensions after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In an appearance before an official inquiry into Britain's role in the Iraq conflict, Mr. Blair sought to reshape the unflattering legacy molded since he left office in 2007 by his many critics in Britain. He has been accused, often bitterly, of pliantly following former President George W. Bush's lead into an illegal and unpopular war, and of misleading his countrymen about his reasons for doing so. For Mr. Blair, a grueling six hours of broadcast testimony provided a rare return to the public spotlight at home after 30 months of frenetic travel as a Middle East peace negotiator, and as the beneficiary of lucrative public-speaking engagements and consultancy deals, many of them in the United States.