Posted on 06/25/2005 5:31:29 PM PDT by hipaatwo
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's son Euan is to take an internship with a leading US Republican Congressman, a newspaper said.
Euan Blair is to spend three months unpaid with the Republican majority on the House of Representatives Committee on Rules, the Sunday Telegraph revealed.
He will reportedly be under the wing of Californian lawmaker David Dreier, the committee's chairman and a member of the lower House of Representatives for the Republican Party of US President George W. Bush.
21-year-old Euan, Blair's eldest son, is soon to graduate from Bristol University in southwest England with a degree in ancient history.
"Given the obvious sensitivities, the prime minister asked the British embassy to get involved in the process", a Downing Street spokesman told the newspaper.
Despite the warm relationship between centre-left Labour Party premier Blair and the rightwing Bush, the move astounded US opposition Democrats, traditionally closer to Labour.
"Working on the Rules Committee will be quite a learning process as it has always been one of the most partisan in the House," said Eric Burns, the communications director for congresswoman Louise Slaughter, the leading Democrat on the Rules Committee.
"It is extremely surprising that the son of a Labour prime minister would intern with the Republican majority staff on the committee," he told the paper.
From CaptainsQuarters blog:
Blair obviously wants to prepare Euan for a life in politics, and apparently in particular wants him to have plenty of experience with Britain's most strategic ally. The choice of Dreier and the Rules Committee could be read in many different ways, but it's safe to say that the choice is deliberate, as the Democrats would have happily taken Euan under their wing. This has already ruffled feathers across the aisle, where they assumed that Blair's close relationship with George Bush had more to do with necessity and personality than politics.
Democrats and Labour share much more philosophically than do Labour and Republicans, of course. But what Democrats don't do is win elections -- and as a result, they don't run anything in Washington at the moment. Blair's choice for Euan, the Rules Committee, demonstrates that aspect of the choice he made. The Rules Committee is one of the most partisan and contentious arenas in the House, where power politics reaches its zenith. Blair must believe that the Republicans have more to teach young Euan than do their Democratic opponents about leadership and success in that arena.
Perhaps the Democrats should ask themselves why that is -- and then take another look at Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid as their party leadership.
Posted by Captain Ed
Huh?
It's just the elites training their kids to be next generation of elites:
Course 101: How to Look Good, Style Your Hair, Travel Well
Course 201: How to Get Elected and Sucker Punch the Idiot Masses
Course 301: How to Make Money Off the Public Trough
Course 401: Mind-Taking, Doublespeak, RightThink and You!
You beat me to it!
I guess the story was written by a Brit.
Between this story and the Dem's saying Gitmo isn't so bad, DUmmie heads are going to explode :)
WELL, WELL, WELL!!
Blair is no conservative, but I would tend to buy the explanation that he thinks his son will learn more with the Republicans. Also, he probably does not want young Euan "learning" from raving lunatics who regularly skirt the edge of treason to Western civilization.
In any case, a well-deserved insult to the Rats.
Maybe this is because Blair believes in "liberalism" in the classical European sense - i.e., representative government, free markets, rule of law, rationalism and attention to empirical facts. The U.S. Democrat party has become the party of emotionalism, fantasy, and demagoguery - a very bad example for his son.
the move astounded US opposition Democrats, traditionally closer to Labour.
Hahaa!!
Eric Burns, the communications director for congresswoman Louise Slaughter, the leading Democrat on the Rules Committee. "It is extremely surprising that the son of a Labour prime minister would intern with the Republican majority staff on the committee," he told the paper.
Well, maybe he wants to learn how to do more than accuse the military of being akin to Stalin, refuse to participate in doing the business of the people because he isn't the majority, or try to impeach G.W.B. on a questionable memor from across the pond.
The Rules Committee is one of the most partisan and contentious arenas in the House, where power politics reaches its zenith. Blair must believe that the Republicans have more to teach young Euan than do their Democratic opponents about leadership and success in that arena. Perhaps the Democrats should ask themselves why that is -- and then take another look at Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid as their party leadership.
I love this from a purely partisan standpoint. Imagine the color that drained from their faces when they heard about this internship. A Liberal, that has been far more successful than they have been in past years, believes his son's education is better furthered by Republicans. Words can't expess the slap this is. LOL
Lucky kid.
He's probably already read "Everything I need to know about Democrats I learned by watching Teletubbies" so now he wants to see how the grownups work.
snugs did you know this?
From a Brit perspective, the House of Representatives would be equivalent to the House of Commons and the Senate would be equivalent to the House of Lords. Conventionally in the Commonwealth the House of Commons is referred to as the "Lower House" and the Senate or Lords is referred to as the "Upper House"
And I believe that the original Congressional setup was modeled on the British one, including that the Senate was not popularly elected, was to represent the states instead of the people directly, and was to be a chamber of sober second thought restraining the excesses of untrmmeled populism implied in a popularly elected House.
Very funny and very smart!
I guess Tony Blair took one look at how the democrats are acting and decided he didn't want his son anywhere near them! He sees who the serious party is(Republicans)and who the lunatic party is!
I was drinking water when I read your post...you owe me a new keyboard!
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