I was not a Blair fan until 9/11. The response of the U.K. and Blair post-9/11 was a reminder of just how closely the U.S.-U.K. are tied, both strategically and emotionally. Ignoring the socialist crap, he would have my vote in a heart beat. Twenty plus years after the fact, I am still stunned by the fact that Argentina thought that the U.S. would side with them over the Falklands. Even though my ancestors came from Denmark and Germany, I have always though of Great Britain as the mother country.
An interesting item on the Blair-Clinton, Blair-Bush relationships:
msnbc.com
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Friend of Bill?
Bill Clinton and Tony Blair weren’t the big buddies everyone thinks they were, according to a new book.
The British Prime Minister thought the former U.S. president was “weird” and was less-than-thrilled about his role in the Northern Ireland peace process, according to a new book by Peter Ridell, chief political commentator for the London Times. According to the book, which was excerpted in the paper this week, Clinton and Blair had several angry conversations, including a “huge, monumental explosion” over strategy in Kosovo.
The book also claims that Blair quickly established a closer friendship with George W. Bush than he ever did with Clinton. “The closeness of the Blair/Bush links was marked by a stream of personal notes from the Prime Minister to the President,” writes Ridell, “particularly after the 9/11 attacks.”
Blair’s public image has taken a beating lately, and his handlers are reportedly not eager to publicize his friendship with Bush, who is even less popular in the U.K. than Blair.
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