Texas university honours Tony Blair with thousands of pounds and an honour reserved for war heroes

[Ichingcarpenter]

Source: The Sunday Times

EVEN though it is eight months since he left Downing Street, Tony Blair has once again laid himself open to an unfortunate combination of the words “cash” and “honours”.

A Texas university with close links to President George W Bush will this week pay Blair thousands of pounds and hand him an honour usually reserved for Republican grandees and American war heroes.

Retired Generals Colin Powell and Tommy Franks were awarded the honour, and in 1999 Baroness Thatcher became the first nonAmerican to receive the medal.

Blair’s citation for the award speaks of his “value-based, activist” foreign policy and his record in “transforming” Britain’s public services. “He received widespread recognition for his support for America after the tragedy of 9/11,” it reads.

Read more: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3466732.ece

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Same University that B*sh's library will be if you are wondering

[catgirl]

1. I'm sure the students are thrilled

There were protests about the Bush library, even by some professors.

[fshrink]

2. This is a minuscule Texas university,

more like an ayatollah compound really. Let's not confuse with actual universities like UT Austin and the like.

[TexasProgresive]

4. An exclusive, high priced private school.

For the elite.

[angstlessk]

3. implication is ..the official Texas State University..when it is a private Methodist school...

Texas university...not A Texas university...SEE HOW THEY PLAY WITH WORDS???

[0007]

5. Wish those mother cow boys had got Tony a big big black wild

bull to ride.

The library is at SMU, as stated in article.

He will become the sixth recipient of the medal awarded by the Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas since it was inaugurated in 1997 in honour of a Republican senator and foreign affairs adviser to Bush’s father.

[Deny and Shred]

6. Blair is now another 'Medal of Freedom' candidate.

I think that medal goes to those who occupied key positions whose help was necessary for BushCo to scam the US and the entire world.
Given their PR campaign immediately post 9/11, shouldn't it be either :
The Medal of French (and in Freedom Fries) or
The Medal of France (to be grammataclly correct for most usage)

Blair is subject to ICC, and doesn't enjoy the basic MSM blackout as Bush, so his future and legacy will be interesting to watch. He single-handedly brought his Kingdom (UK) along for Bush's ride, so he deserves all he gets.

[thunder rising]

7. You mean the POS SMU.

[struggle4progress]

8. The award actually comes from the "John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies" at SMU

The list of previous "Tower Center Medal of Freedom" recipients suggests that successful contestants for the prize will be Republicans with a history of bombing the bejeebers out of somebody:

Colin Powell 1997
Tommy Franks ?
Margaret Thatcher 1999
George H.W. Bush 2001
John McCain 2006 (fifth medal)
Tony Blair 2008

Attending Tower Center events can be pricey:

As a member of the SMU Political Forum, you will receive:

Priority invitation to Tower Center events, including private gatherings with policymakers and leaders
Priority invitation to the biennial Medal of Freedom Award celebration
Special publications produced by the Tower Center for Political Studies
Your tax-deductible membership in the SMU Political Forum is an investment in our future.

... Joining the SMU Political Forum gives you the opportunity to increase your access to leading politicians, public officials, and internationally recognized political analysts. Membership is secured with your pledge or gift of $1,000 a year ...

http://www.smu.edu/tower/politicalforum.asp

This seems to be a more or less autonomous little rightwing institution plopped down at SMU for credibility purposes: here's a link to the current "Board of Directors" of the "Tower Center":
http://www.smu.edu/tower/politicalforum-board.asp

Extra credit if you can pick out the Swiftboat funders!

[bmbmd]

9. Just to remind you

SMU remains the only NCAA university ever given the "death penalty" for irregularities ( read that cheating) in their athletic department.