At the same time, in video, he admits that what appear to be fatal encounters might have been staged for Internet consumption, like scenes from action films.
This was the first suggestion that our worst wildlife encounters might be with something a good deal smaller than a bear.
There isn't a slack moment in "Special Flight," and while some of the speeches and encounters might not have been so resonant had there not been a camera present, everything rings true.
Such encounters might seem damaging to the point of masochism, but strategists reckon they make Mr Blair look in touch with the public, dispelling the notion that he is preoccupied by foreign affairs.
Such encounters might have been ideal preparation for the storms gathering around his new book, Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life, which has just been longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize.
On Wednesday, the judges there zeroed in on the topic of what the officers saw — and did not see — before opening fire, raising questions about which encounters might call for more restraint.
