Wakey wakey Mr Blair

March 22, 2003 5:09 AM

Wakey wakey Mr BlairThere's been a lot of media comment recently concerning Tony Blair's visible signs of exhaustion. This piece illustrates just how quickly he needs to wake up to what's going on if he's ever to sleep soundly again. Clare Short should show him the way and save her credibility at the same time
posted by skellum (13 comments total)

Huh? The article is about postwar reconstruction.
posted by ednopantz at 5:11 AM on March 22, 2003

none are so blind as those that can't see.
posted by niceness at 5:16 AM on March 22, 2003

That's right ednopantz.

President George Bush promised Tony Blair at the Azores summit that...
posted by skellum at 5:42 AM on March 22, 2003

What?
posted by PrinceValium at 6:01 AM on March 22, 2003

Strange situation when the owner pisses over the poodle.

Anyway, I think that Blair probably knew that Short's mission was futile, and just used it as an excuse to keep her on-side and blunt her opposition to war. Either that, or he has definitely adopted the mentality of a beaten wife who blames herself for the bruises.

Anyway, if Short resigns now, no-one will care. Which is all Blair needed. She's become Blair's poodle, just as Blair became Bush's. Short believed that backing Blair would help moderate the influence of the Bush agenda to enrich Halliburton and co. on Iraqi reconstruction. Blair believed that backing Bush would help moderate the influence of the Richard Perle agenda on the conduct of this war and future wars ad eternam. Suckers.
posted by riviera at 6:12 AM on March 22, 2003

Suckers indeed. There's no way that Short is ever going to regain her credibility. She pretty much lost that in a lot of minds when she made that "golden elephant" comment about Montserrat. Recent events have done nothing to dispel the impression that she is a best a foot-in-the-mouth bungler and at worst an unprincipalled careerist.
posted by squealy at 8:32 AM on March 22, 2003

I'm having difficulty following what's going on this thread. Feeling a bit .... tired actually ...
posted by feelinglistless at 8:32 AM on March 22, 2003

If Bush et al are so keen to make this a 'coalition of the willing' and make real the claim that 30-40 countries support the UK/US/Au war then planting US flags, giving out contracts to US companies only and excluding the UN surely isn't the way to go about it.

That said, I can hardly condemn such an attitude when the UN has shown little but opposition and, given the goodwill Saddam's overthrow will inevitably produce (am I naive?) a US-led reconstruction could well be acceptable.

Furthermore, the image of America as Great Satan would certainly be dealt a blow if a successful humanitarian effort/political reconstruction is so manifestly an American effort. Don't really blame em for wanting to spread a bit of positive PR.
posted by pots at 10:06 AM on March 22, 2003

Prime Minister Blair is losing sleep only at the thought of Allied forces dying, which he knows to be for the greater good. He's not losing sleep over Short or any other cabinet ministers.

Prime Minister Blair is a good man. We (U.S.) should award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, or some such, for his stalwart support of a noble and necessary cause.
posted by davidmsc at 10:20 AM on March 22, 2003

To the victors belong the spoils. Should this surprise anyone? Perhaps petite France should have contemplated this before waging its very public fit.

Besides, while the UN might be effective at dealing with epidemics or acute starvation, it has no competency in rebuilding countries as the US has (eg Japan, Germany and *ahem* France).
posted by paleocon at 11:28 AM on March 22, 2003

Prime Minister Blair is a good man. We (U.S.) should award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, or some such, for his stalwart support of a noble and necessary cause.

...with any luck you can do that as we (UK) replace him.
posted by niceness at 11:48 AM on March 22, 2003

the OP is right. blair has been running on empty for some time. i have heard from people who were there, that he was barely able to function at the recent EU meeting here in brussels.

i, personally, am convinced that he has been using amphetamines for several weeks now. here's a story from 9 march where long standing new labour cronicalist andrew rawnsley begs the prime minister to go and get some sleep. it is disturbing to see a man in this condition leading a nation into war
posted by quarsan at 1:29 PM on March 22, 2003

To the victors belong the spoils. Should this surprise anyone?

And we thought the conservative line was that this wasn't about despoiling Iraq. Funny, that.

We (U.S.) should award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, or some such, for his stalwart support of a noble and necessary cause.

The Presidential Medal of French, surely?
posted by riviera at 1:35 PM on March 22, 2003