Twin Towers of Conviction

The Sunday Times via The Australian ^ | April 19, 2004 | Andrew Sullivan

[quidnunc]

This is the season for bumper stickers in the US. In the – bikes, windows, backpacks, tank tops. After a while they blur into a haze of red, white and blue.

Then suddenly one stands out. Stuck on an old and crusty Volvo in Adams Morgan, the hippest part of an unhip city, I found myself staring at one I hadn't seen before: "Tony Blair for President". Even in the endless drizzle of the past couple of weeks, I grinned.

I'm not sure whether any British prime minister has reached the kind of popularity and esteem Blair has in the US right now. Margaret Thatcher was revered and worshipped by conservative Americans, but liberals knew she was a Bad Thing. Too close to Ronald Reagan. Bellicose. Nasty to the poor.

Churchill is still regarded in most elite and popular circles as a kind of 20th-century deity in the US. But he is now myth, not reality.

Blair, on the other hand, has followings in both red and blue America. The George W.Bush-loving heartland will never forget Blair's emotional support for the US after September 11, nor his steadfastness in the war against the Taliban and Saddam Hussein.

The Volvo-driving Cape Cod-vacationing elites revere his eloquence. The great US liberal bores of today, after they have spent time describing how they are so much more intelligent than their embarrassing President, will bend your ear – especially if you are a displaced Brit like me – and sigh, if only they had a president like Tony.

What all this means, of course, is that the Bush-Blair combo has real political impact in the US. It is one of the few things – apart from the latest Donald Trump reality TV show – that brings most Americans together.

Blair could do enormous damage to Bush were he to distance himself from his partner. Bush, of course, could only do wonders for Blair if he did the same in return. So why do they remain such allies?

-snip-

[quidnunc]

Quote:

I'm not sure whether any British prime minister has reached the kind of popularity and esteem Blair has in the US right now.

One was even more popular – Winston Churchill.

All flags in the US were flown at half-staff when he died.

[yooper]

I have to admit that before 911 I didn't have much use for Blair. His actions since that day have been Churchillian and a true profile in courage; he'll go down in history as one of Britain's Great PM's....

[jocon307]

"...he'll go down in history as one of Britain's Great PM's...."

Yes, and the poor fellow will probably get the same reward Churchill and Thatcher did, he'll get tossed out of office.

I love Tony Blair, one of the very few famous people I'd actually like to meet.

[Darheel]

I had the same feeling about Blair when he said "I am a Socialist too" years back. But after 9/11 I realized it's better to have a Euro-Soc than killers for friends, so today he's my favorite Socialist.

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

Quidnunc,

I thought I had read this same article (in full) earlier in the day yesterday.....so I did a quick FR Search and ---VIOLA --- found that it HAD been posted! Check here....

quick FR Search

.....and then click on the posting by Eurotwit: Twin towers of conviction (President Bush & PM Tony Blair)

I don't think you're losing your touch when posting articles (first), just that (in this particular case) a quick search would have yielded the same result I found....

FReegards,

-- snip --

(whoops! had to excerpt as I don't want to quote myself without permission!)

[ConservativeStLouisGuy]

Quidnunc,


There you go again....


"Did I forget to post the full article again? D'OH!!"

FReegards,

ConservativeStLouisGuy