I assume that the reason the Blair (and Bush) didn't choose door number three is that they have other considerations right now. PR is not particularly high on their list, given the level of vitriol already running amok in the Arab world.
“I assume that the reason the Blair (and Bush) didn’t choose door number three is that they have other considerations right now”
What other considerations? The war in Iraq is nearly lost due to the Democrats. The general WOT is still in play and Iran is the biggest player in that war. They just challenged us and we came up small. Now, like I’ve said previously, if the UK/US retaliate after getting the 15 hostages back, they can redeem themselves. If they let the 5 Al Quds Iranian special ops guys go, our government are weak failures.
Frankly, I'm getting tired of the 'let's turn the whole Middle East into a sheet of glass' claptrap. We have the chance to turn some things around there, and as you said, being a bully about it with the entire populace doesn't help one bit. You have to be selective who you pin against the wall. There are a very few who actually have power in Iran, and we shouldn't punish regular people for the idiocy of the mullahs and folks like Mr. Iwannajihad.