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Bush: Blair exit may be my fault
BBC ^

Posted on 05/17/2007 9:31:47 AM PDT by Sub-Driver

Bush: Blair exit may be my fault US President George Bush has said he "could be" responsible for what he said was the early departure of Tony Blair from Downing Street.

Appearing at a joint press conference at the White House, Mr Bush was asked if he was responsible for the end of Mr Blair's premiership.

He said: "I could be", before saying he would work with his successor Gordon Brown who he described as a "good man".

(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blair; bush; uk
dumb answer - he should have thrown it back to the reporter.
1 posted on 05/17/2007 9:31:50 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
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To: Sub-Driver

True, and he “IS” responsible for cleaning out Afghanistan and Iraq setting millions free.


2 posted on 05/17/2007 9:34:01 AM PDT by SF Republican
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To: Sub-Driver

What ISN’T your fault, Mr. President???


3 posted on 05/17/2007 9:40:16 AM PDT by KingRonnie9
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To: Sub-Driver

pathetic

this is exactly why we need a fred thompson

who exactly does this approach play to?

savvy conservatives know this wimpy pious crap does us no favors politically

libs will eat it up and throw it back in his face

independents will assume he did something bad

unbelievably tone deaf

where on earth is the public relations team?


4 posted on 05/17/2007 9:43:24 AM PDT by Enduring Freedom (my axis of evil includes democrats and liberal media)
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To: Sub-Driver

Here we go with another “he’s a good man” compliment from GWB. That probably means Brown is a slimy creep.


5 posted on 05/17/2007 10:03:46 AM PDT by Cecily
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To: Sub-Driver

Potential answers:

“Sure, why not, everything else is my fault”

“No, I am sure he is tired of answering stupid questions like your”

“10 years an early departure? King Edward did not even rule for a year”


6 posted on 05/17/2007 10:05:47 AM PDT by 11th Commandment
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To: 11th Commandment

Does anyone have a transcript of the AWESOME speech that Tony Blair made?


7 posted on 05/17/2007 10:17:54 AM PDT by silentknight
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To: Cecily

“That probably means Brown is a slimy creep.”

He’s a Soros fan. This is Brown’s baby:

http://www.globalmarshallplan.org/what/five_minutes/index_eng.html


8 posted on 05/17/2007 10:31:31 AM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: silentknight

I hope so. That was fabulous.


9 posted on 05/17/2007 10:32:35 AM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: silentknight

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070517.html


10 posted on 05/17/2007 11:25:06 AM PDT by citykid2
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To: sageb1

It was blair at his finest. I was extremely proud.

The press for the first time in years have been a tad kinder to blair since his resignation.

But instead of distancing himself from the president, he gave him the greatest tribute ANY POLITICIAN the world over has given him. I’m so happy about that, and the fact he didn’t appease the british public and political establishment.

I’ll post the transcript.


11 posted on 05/17/2007 12:23:04 PM PDT by UKrepublican
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To: silentknight

What speech?


12 posted on 05/17/2007 1:02:04 PM PDT by Eurotwit (WI - CSC)
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To: Enduring Freedom

While I like Fred Thompson, and while he is my favorite after Hunter, I’ve read on the raps on him is that he doesn’t play enough hardball. He’s another “new tone” guy.


13 posted on 05/17/2007 1:06:16 PM PDT by Lexinom (http://www.gohunter08.com)
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To: UKrepublican

Thank you!


14 posted on 05/17/2007 2:05:12 PM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: Lexinom

“new tone”?


15 posted on 05/17/2007 2:06:28 PM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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To: Sub-Driver
Bush: Blair exit may be my fault

And as soon as Bush signs the comprehensive amnesty, which will enable 20 million Dem voters over the next 8 to 13 years, he will also be responsible for the demise of the Republican party.

16 posted on 05/17/2007 2:12:19 PM PDT by RJL
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To: Lexinom

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: Well, I don’t — it’s not for me to give advice to the leader of the Conservative Party, or a different political party. And that’s up to them as to what they do, and up to him as to whether he comes here or not.

But I do just make this observation to you, and — what we are — what we are trying to do is — don’t mind these two individual leaders, but the two countries, let’s accept for a moment that at least even if people very strongly disagree with Iraq, for example, that at least people understand that there is a battle that we are fighting around the world today.

And let’s at least accept, also, that it’s a battle about the type of values that govern the world in the early 21st century. You don’t win those battles by being a fair-weather friend to your ally, you don’t win those battles by being hesitant or withdrawing support for each other when the going gets tough. You don’t win those battles by losing the will to fight if your enemy’s will to fight is very strong, and very powerful.

And actually, the values that we represent, us two countries, are shown by what we — what we’ve been through today. I mean, the President gets tough questions from the American press corps; I get, I like to say, even tougher questions — (laughter) — or at least as tough questions in the British press corps. And —

PRESIDENT BUSH: One at a time is tough. (Laughter.)

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: And we can — here as we speak at this press conference, I mean, I can’t make out the words that they’re shouting over there, but I bet they’re not totally complimentary to either of us. (Laughter.)

PRESIDENT BUSH: Wait a minute, I don’t know about that. (Laughter.)

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: I mean, it could be the supporters we brought in, but I’ve got a feeling the likelihood is, no. (Laughter.) And that’s what it’s about. It’s about democracy, and it’s about people being free to express their views, and it’s about politicians having to face the pressure to justify their decisions, to be punished if the people don’t like those decisions. And it’s a commonality of values that we have that is so important for the world today.

And so — you know, yes, of course, it’s like — anybody who’s sitting there inviting a politician in any part of Europe today, if you want to get the easiest round of applause, get up and attack America, you can get a round of applause if you attack the President, you get a —

PRESIDENT BUSH: Standing ovation. (Laughter.)

PRIME MINISTER BLAIR: Yes. And that’s — that’s fine if everyone wants to do that, but when all of that is cleared away, you’re left with something very, very simple, fundamental, and clear: that that battle for values is still going on.

And you can debate about the mistakes and the issues and you can debate about Iraq, whether we should have done this or we should have done that. But, actually, what is happening in Iraq today is that our enemy is fighting us, and, therefore, if what happens when our enemy fights us is that we drift away from our friends, that we kind of make the little accommodations so that we don’t escape some of the difficulty and the responsibility and occasionally a proprium of decision-making — if we do that, our enemy takes heart from that, they watch that. They watch what we’re doing the whole time. They ask, are these guys standing up for what they believe, or if we carry on, is their will going to diminish and they’re going to give up, because it’s just too difficult, because the public opinion is too difficult, because the opinion polls tell them it’s too difficult?”

Now, that is the decision of leadership. And it’s not just a decision for me and him; it’s a decision for everybody who’s engaged in politics. And people run down politics and say it’s all just a series of positions and attitudes and sound bites and occasionally even lies and all the rest of it. Actually, what politics is in the end, when it’s done in the right way, when people stand up for what they believe, is it’s about public service. And there’s nothing to be ashamed of in that. And the fact is, the decisions are difficult; of course they’re difficult.

And we took a decision that we thought was very difficult. I thought then, and I think now, it was the right decision. History will make a judgment at a particular time. But one thing I know is that what we represent coming here today, speaking in the Rose Garden to you people and getting your questions and being under your pressure, that is a finer and better way of life than either a brutal, secular dictatorship or religious extremism. It’s a better way of life and it’s the way of life, actually, people, anytime they are given the choice, choose to have. And what we should be about, our two nations, is giving as many people in the world as possible that choice and being proud of it.

PRESIDENT BUSH: What I know is the world needs courage. And what I know is this good man is a courageous man.


17 posted on 05/17/2007 2:35:53 PM PDT by silentknight
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To: Enduring Freedom

The public relations team has been MIA since 2003.


18 posted on 05/17/2007 2:56:45 PM PDT by Democratshavenobrains
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To: Sub-Driver
"dumb answer"

Did you expect anything else? He probably got coaching from Al Gonzales. Compare it to Bolton's BBC interview! Gordon Brown is not a good man. He's a socialist. He loves stealing people's money via stealth taxes.

19 posted on 05/17/2007 3:06:32 PM PDT by Barney Gumble (A liberal is someone too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel - Robert Frost)
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