'Mr Blair... have you met President Kerry?'

[T_i_B]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3535591.stm

This week something odd happened. A left-of-centre party chose its candidate to challenge for the presidency of the world's last remaining superpower. That superpower's closest ally happens to be led by the leader of another centre-left party.

You might imagine he would be the first on the phone to congratulate the newly elected candidate and wish him well in the forthcoming election. Yet this close ally did nothing, said nothing, and sent no message of congratulation. So just what does Tony Blair have against John Kerry?

The Prime Minister's official spokesman was adamant. Tony Blair, he said, is so determined not to get involved in the American presidential elections that he will not even send his congratulations to Senator Kerry. The spokesman referred to the prime minister's remarks at a recent news conference when he said he did not intend to get involved. Reporters pointed out that even President Bush had sent his congratulations to Mr Kerry. The Prime Minister's spokesman did not respond.

More than that, behind the scenes, instructions have gone out: the Labour Party must stay out of the US presidential campaign. Plans for senior Labour figures to hold talks with senior Democrats have been shelved.

[orwell]

1. Blair Witch Trials

Hey TIB!

There was an article posted here yesterday to the effect that a Kerry win would not be good for Blair. It posits that Kerry would be likely to begin snooping around the 9/11 disinfo campaign which might cause uncomfortable revelations for Tony and Company.

This BBC story may add a little more flesh to that theory.

O

[T_i_B]

3. There has been a lot of speculation to that effect.

The thing is, when a Democrat criticizes Bush for the Iraq war they may also be seen as criticizing Blair by implication. Blair may feel it is less damaging to his reputation if he keeps on sticking up for Bush, who doesn't ask naughty questions about WMD's.

[kalian]

2. And the poodle will jump into his lap....

[Tim_in_HK]

4. I don't think this is surprising

And I think BBC is fishing for a story.

I remember, I think, back in '88, some leaders in Europe (or their Party subordinates) congratulated Dukakis for becoming the Dem nominee, and a couple even publicly expressed their desire for Duke to win.

Needless to say, * Pere's campaign was not impressed, and held a long memory for those who spoke up. That hasn't happened again.

And anyway, I don't think this is wrong. I think foreigners would be quite perturbed if an American president started saying who he liked in a foreign contest.

[blm]

5. BCCI/Bank of England trial is going on right now in London.

They are well aware that Kerry is the one who exposed the criminality of their covert actions by the US and England's intelligence communities..

[mrfrapp]

6. Why he hasn't is obvious.

Tony Blair isn't a left of centre politician. Blair et al have moved the Labour Party so far to the right they now have more in common with the Republicans than the Democrats. It should now be obvious that the rebranding of the Labour Party as "New Labour" and the change of policies that went with it, was indeed the right wing coup d'etat that the "loony left" said it was.

[w4rma]

7. Where are the Blair defenders?

I guess it's becoming too hard to defend this jerk.

[northernsoul]

8. Didn't Big Dog do a lot to help Blair?

Refresh my memory, but didn't Blair and Labour get a lot of overt support from the Clinton WH and former staffers like Stephanopolous?

Thanks for the effing gratitude, Tony.

Blair has definitely been blackmailed by B*shco.

[Jolene]

9. Kerry IS a 'Blair Democrat'

so says the DLC - repeatedly. Blair doesn't need to speak. Kerry's organization has.

In one camp are the "Blair Democrats" -- Sens. Lieberman, John Edwards, John Kerry, and Rep. Dick Gephardt.

http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=131&subid=192&contentid=251567

Indeed, the Iowa results represent a vindication for the Blair Democrats who supported the war in Iraq.

http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=131&subid=192&contentid=252334

As in Iowa, the Blair Democrats who supported the use of force in Iraq solidly defeated Democratic candidates who tried to stoke anger against it.

http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=131&subid=192&contentid=252351

As a charter member of the Senate New Democrat Coalition, Kerry has often rejected the stale left-right options that disguise the real choices facing the country -- choices that are rarely reflected in mechanical interest-group Congressional vote ratings, but that are in line with the real sentiments of the American people.
As a Blair Democrat and a proponent of a tough-minded progressive internationalism, Kerry understands that America's security and our influence in a dangerous world depend on both a willingness to use America's military might and a willingness to advance our values in concert with countries that share them.

http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=131&subid=192&contentid=252427

[BL_Zebub]

10. If the DLC had any sense (which they don't) they would drop that name

Don't get me wrong, because it's true enough. They ARE appeasing little poodles just like Blair. But from where I'm sitting, the name is hardly complimentary.

BTW, this phrase... As a Blair Democrat and a proponent of a tough-minded progressive internationalism... troubles this Devil greatly. Basically it says that Kerry is a dictator appeaser who endorses the PNAC agenda. Which isn't "progressive" by any stretch of the imagination :evilfrown:

[T_i_B]

12. But by the same token,

Kerry is the least Blairite out of all of the "Blair Democrats" (Lieberman being the most Blairite from what I've seen of him). Perhaps the question Is Kerry a "Blair Democrat"? deserves it's own thread?

Kerry's team has close links with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown and for some reason that seems to be making Blair feel quite uneasy.

[Benhurst]

11. In the old days, before the Kennedy assassination,

the appearance of the Secret Service was a signal of victory on election night.

Now the sign is the sudden and startling insertion of Tony Blair's nose.