Blair wins over Bush

[Chris Burford <cburford@xxxxxxxxxx>]

As the more experienced leader, not obliged immediately to immerse himself
in the details of US armed forces contingency planning, Blair stepped
forward on Tuesday 11th as the leader of the western world. He followed it
up in the days afterwards

> The public expressions of unswerving 'shoulder to shoulder' British
> support have been designed to help win the White House's attention for
> private counsel that the response has to be proportionate, deliberate,
> careful and, most of all, effective.

> Mr Blair has praised the United States for not lashing out - so far. 'They
> did not strike first and think afterwards,' he told MPs, reflecting his
> unvoiced fear that that was precisely what the US might have done - and
> might yet do.

(Andrew Rawnsley Sunday September 16, 2001 The Observer )

So Bush talks about wanting Osama bin Laden "alive or dead", and Blair
talks about appropriate responses.


>  At the Downing street briefing this morning, it was also stressed that
> British armed forces would act within the law - a reference to calls in
> the US for the CIA to be allowed to resume assassintions of hostile
> foreign heads of state or terrorists.
>
> Questioned about Mr Bush's use of the phrase "dead or alive", the
> spokesman would only respond: "The president will express his own views in
> his own words. The prime minister and the president continue to discuss
> these matters in a calm and measured way."


Blair knows that to control terrorism it is necessary to talk to the
backers of terrorism (such as the United States in the case of Ireland),
and smile. Bush however talks about a war against "Evil".

Blair is engaged on another round of frenetic visits to Germany, the USA,
Paris, Brussels, and a European summit, and has just been talking to the
Chinese president, and to the head of Pakistan.

He has the backing of the British Foreign Office which has decades of
experience of trying to outwit the Americans, and has the advantage of a
relative dovish counterpart in the Secretary of State.

The USA is far more powerful, but it has no strategy for dealing with this
sort of terrorism. In the final analysis power is the right to have your
definition of reality prevail over all other people's definition of reality.

Blair is winning power from Bush in world affairs.

Chris Burford

London