Blair pressed to draw on political stock in US
When Tony Blair meets President George W. Bush in Washington tomorrow, he will again be under pressure to spend some of the political capital he accumulated over the Iraq war to secure backing for British initiatives.
The prime minister needs US support to achieve progress on climate change and a programme of aid and debt relief for Africa, the twin priorities of Britain's presidency of the G8 group of the world's seven richest nations and Russia this year.
(...)
With the European Union in disarray and its constitution all but dead, Africa will play a large role in Mr Blair's quest for a political legacy, as he is unlikely to have the once-in-a-generation opportunity to cement Britain's position at the heart of Europe through a referendum.
(All quotes in this diary from the Financial Times of London)
Mr Bush last week restated US opposition to Mr Brown's plan of doubling aid to Africa by setting up an international finance facility to borrow on capital markets to spend future aid money now.
Progress on climate change is likely to prove even more difficult. The Bush administration opposes setting any limits on US emissions of greenhouse gases. The US has also tried to block discussions of what will happen when the current provisions of the Kyoto protocol expire in 2012.
So, any chance that Bush will give loyal ally Blair what he hopes for - indeed needs - for his political legacy?
Well, at least they can always celebrate their joint action in Iraq, right?
Right?
Officials are also keen to stress that the two leaders will discuss other matters, including Iraq, the Middle East and efforts to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Britain and the US will reiterate their full support for Iraq's democratic transition and the build-up of Iraqi security forces. But there is concern that the new Iraqi government will not be able to stick to the tight timetable for drafting and ratifying a constitution followed by fresh elections at the end of the year.
And with no US ambassador in Baghdad for the past six months, officials on both sides of the Atlantic fear Washington has lost its grip on the democratisation process.
Mr Blair appears no closer to establishing what he described as "timelines" for a British withdrawal following the handover of responsibility for security to Iraqi forces.
A British official described the US attitude to the political and security situation in Iraq as "pollyanna-ish".
That's your legacy all right, Mr Blair. You hooked up with the devil, you'll have to pay the price to its bitter end. You're the man that gave that war a veneer of international legitimacy. You're the man that proved beyond any remaining doubt that Bush does not listen to voices of moderation, and yet you stuck with him all the way through, proving that being America's ally under Bush simply means that you obey better than others (not that standing up was any more effective, granted, but those that did can maybe have a clearer conscience).
So, what's Blair's legacy?