Tony Blair For President!

October 8, 2001 1:16 PM

Tony Blair For President! Seriously, I'd vote for him. What are the chances that the Democrats can recruit Mr. Blair to run? Also, the LA Times thinks Tony Blair Puts Bush to Shame. What do you think?
posted by Rastafari (19 comments total)

Unfortunately, you have to be a natural-born citizen to run for President.
posted by Steven Den Beste at 1:21 PM on October 8, 2001

Cool idea, but unconstitutional if he wasn't born in the States.
posted by alumshubby at 1:22 PM on October 8, 2001

Tony Blair was born in the United States. Little known fact. He was born in the Louisiana bayou, about 60 miles away from Baton Rouge. His friends called him "Jumbalaya Blair," until he adopted that totally fake British accent and started putting on airs. "Good riddance," they said, as he boarded the plane for England.

I'm just being silly now.
posted by Hildago at 1:35 PM on October 8, 2001

Yahoo link: 36 percent of those questioned had never heard of Blair

"Duh, wasn't she the hottie on 'The Facts of Life'?"
posted by gazingus at 1:37 PM on October 8, 2001

What do you think?

We could clone Tony Blair, and have his clone be born in the United States, where it (he?) would be raised in a holo-simulation that would develop it (him?) into the blend of genetics and environment that characterizes the original Tony Blair-style behavior pattern. Then, we could build a time machine, and transport the adult Blair-clone back to three years from now, where he could win the 2004 presidential election after 4 months of recounts in North Dakota (North Dakota!). Problem Solved!™

*suddenly realizes that he is thinking too much*

Eep.
posted by iceberg273 at 1:41 PM on October 8, 2001

Just to repeat myself from the previous Tony Blair thread:

Blair is playing this whole crisis just like a camera-hog American politician. If it doesn't work out for him in UK, he can always camp out at the Kennedy compound in Boston and try his luck here.

[I don't know why, when I see Blair, I keep thinking of a Blair-for-Clinton trade, which may involve some 'politician-to-be-named-later'.]

Blair has become more of a non-resident Secretary of State for the Bush administration. His head of government status out ranks both Powell and Rumsfeld. He can go out and meet with other Prime Ministers and Presidents as an envoy of the 'coalition,' (read: President Bush) on equal footing that neither Powell nor Rumsfeld can command.
posted by tamim at 1:41 PM on October 8, 2001

LOL iceberg! Wish it was true Hildago.
posted by Rastafari at 1:50 PM on October 8, 2001

Jumbalaya Blair?.......
I always thought his birth name was Amos Moses...
posted by bradth27 at 1:55 PM on October 8, 2001

"Hey W, go tell Blair which project he should be pushing this week."

Boy, I had to work for that bad pun.
posted by billder at 2:06 PM on October 8, 2001

Alistair Campbell writes Tony Blair's speeches. Tony just reads them out. He also changes his tone of voice depending on who he thinks he's addressing; a "posh" voice for a worldwide audience, and a "matey" voice for addressing the 'common' man.

Never ceases to depress me.
posted by chrimble at 2:10 PM on October 8, 2001

Amos Moses? No... More like Amos Brearly.... Alistair Campbell is obviously Henry Wilks.
posted by LMG at 2:23 PM on October 8, 2001

billder: work harder. That pun was atrocious. Oh...wait...yah, I get it.

Better Idea: Margaret Thatcher - The Iron Lady!
posted by davidmsc at 2:41 PM on October 8, 2001

Of course Blair can't stop the terrorism in his own nation (The IRA).... But why should that stop him from mouthing off on this matter....
posted by davros42 at 6:13 PM on October 8, 2001

Davros42 says: << Of course Blair can't stop the terrorism in his own nation (The IRA).... But why should that stop him from mouthing off on this matter.... >>

Actually my friend, Tony Blair is widely regarded my Nationalists in Northern Ireland as having been the driving force behind the "peace process" that has resulted in moderately successful power sharing and the longest, most well observed ceasefire since Britain last entered N.Ireland militarily in 1969.

But perhaps, as you say, he is just "mouthing off".

Is Bush mouthing off given that domestic terrorism (Timothy McVeigh) exists in the US?
posted by daragh at 7:15 PM on October 8, 2001

Listening to Blair's public addresses on NPR soon after the attacks of 911 was not disimilar to the soothing voice of my father after waking up from a nightmare in the middle of the night.

Maybe he doesn't write the speeches. But his delivery is impeccable.
posted by glenwood at 8:44 PM on October 8, 2001

Margaret Thatcher -- the Iron Lady

Tony Blair -- the Iron Laddie.

This thread seems to have run its course, but I have to point out a problem with the LA Times column. It takes Bush to task for courting unsavory allies, then falls all over itself praising Blair -- who, of course, didn't have the job of courting allies. Would he have done any better? Maybe so, but we don't know for sure.

That said, I enjoy listening to Blair as much as anybody. He's very eloquent.
posted by diddlegnome at 1:53 AM on October 9, 2001

One last comment (I've been on holiday) - when Blair became prime minister I thought thank God, now we've got someone who won't be an embarrassment at international conferences like Major was. And true to say, Blair is v.v. impressive. Pity he's totally reneged on nearly every election promise he's ever made. Where's my 24 hours drinking Tony? Mmmm? Still waiting.
posted by Summer at 4:54 AM on October 10, 2001

Oh yeah, and another thing. I wish US publications would stop spelling the Labour Party without the 'u'. It's a name. It's Labour, not Labor.
posted by Summer at 5:02 AM on October 10, 2001

Timoth McVeigh exisits?

And yeah, for the record, Bush is mouthing off... But at least he's mouthing off about our problem...

Listening to Blair isn't so much like listening to your father soothe you after a nightmare, but listening to you next door neighbor (or neighbour if you prefer) soothe you after a nightmare.... We appreciate the effort, but why exactly is he doing it... He certainly looks good to the voting public...

And I'll grant you that Blair has achieved a cease fire, but that's not peace... Not by a long shot... time will tell, always does...
posted by davros42 at 6:43 PM on October 10, 2001