NationStates Jolt Archive

Yo Bush! Blair mocked as US poodle.
Tue Jul 18, 9:26 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair was roundly mocked as a U.S. poodle on Tuesday after an off-the-cuff chat with President George W. Bush was accidentally broadcast.

Bush and Blair enjoyed a gossip over lunch at the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg on Monday, unaware that a microphone in front of them was switched on and their words would be relayed around the world.

Breaking with diplomatic formalities, Bush hailed Blair, his closest European ally, with the words "Yo, Blair." His solution to the Middle East crisis was that Syria should press Hizbollah to "stop doing this shit."

The British media pored over the text of the conversation, saying it cast Blair in a subservient role and showed the unequal nature of Britain's much-vaunted "special relationship" with the United States.

"Yo, Bush! Start treating our prime minister with respect," the popular tabloid Daily Mirror said, joining others in seeing the U.S. president's greeting as disrespectful.

The broadcast chat "reinforces the damaging public image of Blair as the U.S. president's poodle," it said.

But most damaging to Blair was what commentators saw as his plea --rebuffed by Bush-- to be allowed to visit the Middle East to try to stop fighting between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas.

VISIT OFFER SPURNED
Blair suggested he could prepare the ground for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, because "if she goes out, she's got to succeed ... whereas I can just go out and talk."

The Guardian said Blair "all but offers to carry her (Rice's) bags."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060718/ts_nm/britain_usa_dc

my2cents: I see the future: Blair will not run again.. ever.

Eh, this is nothing, comon Bush just said "Yo" and "Shit".

So, are you suggesting that Syria shouldn't pressure Hezbulla to stop doing this shit.

And, Bush and Blair are men of equal stature, they didn't no that this was being broadcast, what's wrong with saying yo to an equal in what you thought private.

And, Bush and Blair are men of equal stature...the resulting "stature" of their Prime Minister is going to be decided by the British Public opinion.

By which I meant they are both the leaders of nations, and none has any special status which would require more or less respect.

So, are you suggesting that Syria shouldn't pressure Hezbulla to stop doing this shit.

And, Bush and Blair are men of equal stature, they didn't no that this was being broadcast, what's wrong with saying yo to an equal in what you thought private.

No what I'm saying is what Bush said to Blaire is nothing, it really shouldn't even be news.

No what I'm saying is what Bush said to Blaire is nothing, it really shouldn't even be news.
Wasn't aimed at you, I should have specified, sorry

Blair is poodle and a US kiss ass?... OMG... I dont think any of us saw that coming

As for the comments, they're 'friends' away from work - they were just fucking about and talking about work like every body else does.

What I found most amusing about that was Bush's eating noises! Chomp chomp chomp. Blair always was Bush's bitch. Poodle is just a more mannered version!

Really? "Yo" "Shit" ? That's the best you got? No creepy back rubs? No jokes about Bush and Putin locked in a room for a "Grope off?" Yo and shit? ZZZzzzz.

Really? "Yo" "Shit" ? That's the best you got? No creepy back rubs? No jokes about Bush and Putin locked in a room for a "Grope off?" Yo and shit? ZZZzzzz.


The back rub thing was pretty freakin creepy.

No Blair is not, that is reserved for lapdog John Howard of Australia. He's a real lapdog.

my2cents: I see the future: Blair will not run again.. ever.
Would that be because he said about a year ago that he wouldn't?

lol hearing Bush say "yo" is hilarious.

Blair is Bush's Lapdog, in other shocking news: water is wet, the pope is found to be a catholic, etc etc

This is hardly news that Blair is Bush's bitch. It's like he's been setting out throughout his entire career as PM to turn this country into the laughing stock of the world.

Man I saw this on CNN and they actually were dumb enough to actually flash BREAKING NEWS across the screen. Bush said shit! OMG! IT'S TEH END OF THE WORLD!!!11

Seriously, why is this news?

VISIT OFFER SPURNED
Blair suggested he could prepare the ground for U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, because "if she goes out, she's got to succeed ... whereas I can just go out and talk."

The Guardian said Blair "all but offers to carry her (Rice's) bags."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060718/ts_nm/britain_usa_dc
Hmm, Blair is willing to go and talk to the leaders in the middle east, despite the probable futility and despite it being seen as he is only "carrying Rice's bags" to at least try and get an end to the fighting?

That's both courageous and decent in my book.

You ought to have heard some of the Lyndon Johnson tapes, that bad boy could swear...

Dude, in case you didn't realize, the President of the United States is a person, who has conversations just like everyone else. He talks to people in an informal fashion. They belch, they fart, they swear, and, every so often, they puke all over the leaders of foreign countries.

And that Blair would be somewhat deferential to the leader of the most powerful nation in the world is no great surprise. The UK stands to gain from the stability provided by American power around the globe. The US-UK Alliance is one of the strongest socio-political-military inter-state relationships on the global scene for the last sixty years.

And that Blair would be somewhat deferential to the leader of the most powerful nation in the world is no great surprise. The UK stands to gain from the stability provided by American power around the globe. The US-UK Alliance is one of the strongest socio-political-military inter-state relationships on the global scene for the last sixty years.
How are we gaining from it? The only thing I've seen that this 'special relationship' has given us is made our military an extension of the US military, fighting in America's wars which were never our problem to begin with. The special relationship is only one way, and it's turning our country into a complete joke.

Man I saw this on CNN and they actually were dumb enough to actually flash BREAKING NEWS across the screen. Bush said shit! OMG! IT'S TEH END OF THE WORLD!!!11

Seriously, why is this news?Because of the repurcussions this has in Syria and the UN. Kofi isn't all that pleased when Bush's and Blair's carelessness leads to leaks like that. Likewise, the Syrians are beginning to spread the conspiracy theory that the two wanted that conversation to be public. What's more, Bush's cards are now on the table, and he can't really bluff about that anymore; Syria is prepared to call Kofi a US lackey if he comes calling and asking them to stop Hezbullah.

How are we gaining from it? The only thing I've seen that this 'special relationship' has given us is made our military an extension of the US military, fighting in America's wars which were never our problem to begin with. The special relationship is only one way, and it's turning our country into a complete joke.
So narrow minded, so very narrow minded.

Beyond the incredible level of global stability, the strong trading relationship (and all the good things associated with that), the guarantee of an open and free Atlantic, a great way to counterbalance the Continental European Powers and an assload of other awesome things are all derived from the benefit of having a strong alliance with the US. A strong US-UK relationship guarantees a very large number of the ultralong-term strategic goals of the UK.

A strong US-UK relationship guarantees a very large number of the ultralong-term strategic goals of the UK.

Such as?