Blair Aide Quits With Tirade

New York Times ^ | May 12, 2003 | WARREN HOGE

[frosty snowman]

LONDON, May 12 — Clare Short, Britain's secretary for International Development, today became the second person to resign from the cabinet over Iraq policy, ending her six years in government with a surprisingly personal attack on Prime Minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons.

The immediate cause of her resignation, she said, was Mr. Blair's "betrayal" of his promise to work for United Nations involvement in postwar Iraq and his cooperation in an American campaign to "bully" the United Nations.

But she went beyond those disputes over issues to accuse Mr. Blair of abandoning Labor Party values and the policies of his administration in order to further his own obsessive ambition.

She assailed Mr. Blair for becoming a "presidential" leader, formulating bad policy in secret with a small group of advisers, forcing it upon Parliament by "diktats" straining party loyalty and undermining public trust.

Even given Ms. Short's reputation for feisty outspokenness, legislators who packed the chamber appeared startled at the personal animus in her statement.

"To the prime minister," she said, "I would say that he has achieved great things since 1997 but, paradoxically, he is in danger of destroying his legacy as he becomes increasingly obsessed by his place in history." [ ...cut... ]

[frosty snowman]

good, i'm glad she is out of the way now. it sounds like she is going mental.

[Shermy]

Just another globalist deeply saddened that their fantasy about the UN and global governance has taken a dive.

[RetiredArmy]

In another week, she will simply be a footnote in Brit throw-a-fit history.

[VaBthang4]

Bump for Salience

[foreshadowed at waco]

Wonder if she has taken money from groups sympathetic to terrorism. The liberals who don't seem concerned that Saddam was routinely feeding human beings into shredders remind me of our own Democrats who want our economy to tank so that Bush will lose power.

[randog]

...she first pledged to resign if Britain joined in the American-led war without United Nations sanction and then stayed on in her post when that occurred.

An employee of Saddam Inc.?

[A CA Guy]

How does this tirade make her EVER able to be hired again in political administrations?
If someone can't control their worthless opinions globally, I think they would have a hard time becoming anything in government again. She can't be trusted for anything and the most horrifying part is their press gave her a platform to be a wedge politically.

[Bahbah]

" he was able to name her successor within an hour of receiving her telephone call saying she was quitting."

Haha, you can't fire me. I quit. What a rude and witchy woman. No loss there.

[Tunehead54]

Representing a Birmingham district, she came to public notice early on by championing feminist causes and drawing attention with a campaign against the daily photographs of nude women on the third page of The Sun, Britain's largest daily tabloid.

---

I can report with certainty that this particular effort failed, luckily. Proof is at page3.com - just cheesecake (and they are "topless" not NUDE) but someone will no doubt be offended. ;-)

BTW - anyone know what happened the other two times she resigned? Why does she keep coming back?

[jagrmeister]

If her point was to send the message on how war was wrong, wouldn't the strongest message be sent by ending her own life? Then people would know she cared about the issue. lol.

[vpintheak]

Considering the source, can we really trust this article?

[Tacis]

My bet is that Mrs. Blair has just forced Mr. Blair to stop banging Claire and, in general, keep away from her. Claire has responded in the usual female manner. Bye, Claire!

[prairiebreeze]

I believe I heard something on TV about Short resigning today, if that is what you are questioning.

Prairie

[caisson71]

It sounds like Ms Short was writing political checks she couldn't cash. Did she think she was the PM or his equal?

[fightinJAG]

Good riddance.

[mass55th]

Maybe she can get an intern job at the UN when Bubba takes it over.

[Free_at_last_-2001]

Clare who............?

[Thud]

Sounds like her name was found with Galloways' on Saddam's list of rented foreign VIP's, and she was told to resign or have the documents released.

[Savage Rider]

When I read the title I thought this was another story about that Blair reporter for the Times. I am getting Jayson Blair and Tony Blair all mixed up nowadays.