It Has been rather a good week for Charles Kennedy. Although the recall of Parliament for a special one-day debate on Iraq interrupted the Liberal Democrats' annual conference (thankfully deflecting attention from a leisurely afternoon spent discussing the merits of allowing 16-year-olds to buy hard-core porn), the clouds of war have brought with them a silver lining for Mr Kennedy. With Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, committed to playing the role of little echo to the prime minister, Mr Kennedy has been the only party leader able to give voice to the anxiety and scepticism that opinion polls suggest is felt by much of the country. "Am I alone," he asked, "in feeling increasingly concerned about this concept called regime change? I think not. Am I alone in worrying about the undermining of the moral, legal and practical authority of the United Nations? Again, I think not." Mr Kennedy, whose unpompous good humour normally robs him of the gravitas to which senior politicians aspire, managed to sound serious and principled, while still leaving himself room to support future military action if sanctioned by the UN.
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