A War for Influence?

cosmosRIP · Jan 8, 2003

A war for cheap oil is one thing...

Prime Minister Tony Blair told a gathering of the country's senior diplomats that standing by the United States was "massively in our self-interest."
...he noted that "the price of influence is that we do not leave the U.S. to face the tricky issues alone."
Denouncing anti-Americanism as a "foolish indulgence," he told a meeting of British ambassadors, "There are not many countries who wouldn't wish for the same relationship as we have with the U.S. and that includes most of the ones most critical of it in public."
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http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/08/international/europe/08BRIT.html

Matt Clark · Jan 8, 2003

Our Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, and our recently recalled Ambassador to the US, have both lately been saying the same thing. Apparently, by sticking to you like glue, we are able to exert significant behind-the-scenes influence on the Bush administration and it’s conduct of the War on Terror and other foreign policy initiatives.

He’s blatantly playing to the domestic gallery with all this. Over here in the UK people are becoming ever more dissatisfied with the whole lapdog thing that he seems to enjoy playing. It’s especially nauseating when you remember that Blair and most of his senior aides are on record as considering Dubya a complete cretin.

cosmosRIP · Jan 8, 2003

The former U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James, Ray Seitz, recalls in his autobiography preparations for President Bill Clinton’s first meeting with Britain’s then-prime minister, John Major. Sitting in the Oval Office, the president was reminded by one of his aides to mention the magic phrase “special relationship.” “Oh yes,” said Clinton. “How could I forget?” And he burst out laughing.
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http://www.policyreview.org/JUN02/harris.html