Democrats woo 'courageous' Blair

The Daily Telegraph ^ | July 16, 2004 | Alec Russell

[MadIvan]

The Democrats have made their first public overture to Tony Blair, praising his style of leadership and contrasting it with the stance of his ally President George W Bush.

After months of Democratic teeth-grinding over the closeness of Mr Blair - a natural ideological friend - to their arch-enemy, Senator John Edwards, the party's vice-presidential candidate, suggested that Mr Blair and Mr Bush are not as alike as Republicans contend.

Hailing the Prime Minister's acceptance of responsibility for intelligence failures over Iraq in the Butler report, he attacked Mr Bush for not doing the same after last week's report by the US Senate on American intelligence failings.

"Tony Blair didn't run from the [Butler] report," Mr Edwards said on his first solo campaign trip since he was picked by Senator John Kerry, the presidential contender, as his running mate a week ago.

"It's because he understands what leadership is," Mr Edwards added.

"What we need in the White House is somebody who has the strength, courage and leadership to take responsibility and be accountable not only for what is good, but for what is bad. That's what John Kerry will be," he added.

Democrats said yesterday the comments were aimed primarily at chipping away at the image of Mr Bush, rather than wooing Mr Blair.

But they also amounted to the first public attempt by Mr Kerry's campaign to query the staunchness of the link between Mr Blair and the president.

With the latest polls still suggesting that the November election will be very close, Democrats recall that Mr Blair was close to Bill Clinton in 2000 before bonding with Mr Bush and are daring to hope that in a few months he will have to perform a similar turnaround. But Republicans dismissed Mr Edwards's remarks, accusing him of cherry-picking quotes from Mr Blair's reaction.

They highlighted the Prime Minister's subsequent ringing endorsement of his decision to go to war in Iraq, which was not cited by Mr Edwards.

Since Mr Blair announced that Britain was "shoulder to shoulder" with America after the September 11 attacks, the Blair-Bush relationship has been a source of delight to Republicans and increasing bewilderment, if not irritation, to Democrats.

As if that was not enough of an upset to tradition, even as Republicans have hailed Mr Blair as a new Churchill, ties between Republicans and the Tories have been strained over Michael Howard's criticism of Mr Blair's pro-American stance.

In recent months the Washington political rumour mill has been alive with speculation, particularly in Republican circles, that Mr Blair would have a sticky relationship with a Kerry White House if Mr Bush is defeated in November.

But Kerry campaign staff yesterday played down such talk.Mark Kitchens, the deputy press secretary for national security, said: "Senators Kerry and Edwards fundamentally understand diplomacy. They understand that you have to reach out to your best allies.

"And they understand that the United Kingdom is one of our best and most important allies." When Mr Blair visited Washington in April to plot with Mr Bush the final countdown to the handover of sovereignty in Iraq, the politically convenient theory was bandied about that he and Mr Kerry's diaries had been too busy for the two to meet.

Downing St would probably find a new set of difficulties with a Kerry administration. He is close to the Kennedys and the powerful Irish lobby in Boston, which might cause tensions over Northern Ireland. He has also made much of the need to repair ties with Europe but has said little about the "special relationship" with Britain.

[GeronL]

The Tories have the same view of the war as Micheal Moore.

[MadIvan]

The Tories have the same view of the war as Micheal Moore.

Not really and not all of them. However Michael Howard, the leader of the Tories, is engaging in cheap opportunism. Sod him.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

I find it telling that the Democrats are in such dire need of leaders that they have to try and shanghai them from the UK. ;)

Regards, Ivan

[GeronL]

Well, those cheap political tricks are going to hurt the party. Which should make UKIP happy, I guess.

[MadIvan]

I prefer the UKIP anyway...their stand on the European Union is unequivocal.

Regards, Ivan

[GeronL]

I have the same attitude for the UN.

[GeronL]

UKIP should use the slogan: "A Nation, not a province"

[Rastus]

Before I clicked this, I figured the Dims were trying to woo Jayson Blair. He's definitely more up their alley.

[tjwmason]

I am not voting Tory until the Atlanticists regain control.

I can see your point, but given the rape of the constitution which began in 1997, I would do pretty much anything to get rid of Blair. That said, it will make little difference, the Tory here got 53% in 2001. The Tories will keep my vote, except at European elections, simply because the other alternatives are Labour or the Lib. Dems. I vote UKIP at Euro level, though the idea of a UKIP government does not fill me with excitement.