HUG THEM CLOSE: Blair, Clinton, Bush and the 'Special Relationship', By Peter Riddell, 317 pages. Politico's. $19.95. President Bush's state visit to Britain this week highlights the paradoxical position Prime Minister Tony Blair has found himself in ever since the Iraq issue emerged on the international radar screen. Unlike other foreign leaders, who may have supported Mr. Bush rhetorically and in a few instances with token military support, Mr. Blair has stood shoulder to shoulder with America on this issue from Day 1. In so doing, he defied the wishes of much of his own public and many within his...