UK to Bush: Don't mention Tony Blair

[dee33]

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/tm_objectid=14606978%26method=full%26siteid=106694%26headline=don%2dt%2dmention%2dthe%2dblair%2dword-name_page.html

DON'T MENTION THE BLAIR WORD

Sep 5 2004


Labour's poll fear as Bush praises Tony

By Vincent Moss


DOWNING Street has pleaded with the White House to tell President Bush: "Don't mention Tony Blair."

Republican strategists wanted the President to trumpet his links with the PM - who is hugely popular in the States - in his campaign for the US elections in November.

They were also keen to broadcast video clips of the two leaders together to help Bush defeat his Democrat rival John Kerry.

But allies of the PM have blocked the plan amid growing fears his cosy relationship with Bush will send Labour plunging in the UK polls.

Sources close to Mr Blair are also worried about further damaging Labour's close link with the Democrats. The Democrats are already privately seething that Mr Blair and his Cabinet have failed to give Kerry any major signs of support - let alone a ringing endorsement.

A senior Labour minister said: "There have been contacts at an extremely high level about involving Tony Blair in the US campaign. It has been made very clear to the White House and the Republicans that we do not wish to be seen to be taking sides.

"Every time President Bush smiles and mentions 'my great friend Tony' and the Iraq war, we take a nosedive in the polls." Labour high command is also concerned about Tory leader Michael Howard's ruse to distance himself from President Bush.

They believe he engineered stories of an apparent split between the Tories and the Republicans last month as a stunt to woo voters already disaffected with President Bush and the PM over the Iraq war.

The first signs of the Downing Street plan to tone down President Bush's praise for Mr Blair were seen in his speech to last week's Republican convention in New York.

Buried deep in his speech, the US leader made just one short mention of American allies in the Iraq war.

He paid tribute to the courage of the little known Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Australian PM John Howard and Italian leader Silvio Berlusconi, before finally adding, almost as an afterthought, the name of Tony Blair.

A Downing Street insider said: "The truth is that we might prefer a Democrat president.

"But the reality is we will probably get George Bush and have to work with him."

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

1. LOL..the Bush kiss of death!

"Every time President Bush smiles and mentions 'my great friend Tony' and the Iraq war, we take a nosedive in the polls."

[JohnnyRingo]

2. Does GW go to the oval office window every morning, survey the vista...

...And say: "I feel the love"?

I don't think I could even get out of bed if more than half the world hated me.

[Old and In the Way]

3. Looks like it Bush against the world.

Terriffic. I hope to hell the kool-aid drinkers wake up soon and realize that another 4 years of Bush will destroy 240 years of goodwill that this nation has created in the world community.

[Cha]

4. No worries! bushit is going to be

sent packing to crawford. he ain't gonna be around to ruin anyone's life any longer.

[Moderator]

5. dee33

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