Praise for stand-up guy (Tony Blair) is lost in translation

[kskiska]

Tony Blair, who once struggled to shake off his image as the Bambi of British politics, found himself cast as the hardest of hard men by George Bush yesterday.

"As we like to say in Crawford , he's a stand-up kinda guy, he shows backbone and courage and strong leadership," the president declared in the White House rose garden, as he lavished praise on Mr Blair for standing shoulder to shoulder with him on Iraq.

Such a compliment - Mr Bush's way of telling the world he values Mr Blair's counsel in a week when his influence appears to have waned in the White House - highlights Mr Blair's acute difficulty with the plain-speaking Texan.

What is clearly the highest honour in the president's adopted state sounds to British ears like a jokey aside about how the man dismissed by critics as a creation of spin has turned into a stand-up comedian.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1193807,00.html

[Zhade]

1. Blair's a fucking joke, alright!

A war criminal kinda joke!

[whistle]

2. As they say on the Sopranos you mean...

...Dubya is such a product of the media it makes me want to toss my cookies :puke:

[Eye and Monkey]

3. "Stand-up"? Poodle's legs have been knocked out from under him.

He's falling in a slow motion faint, flat onto his face.

Also on LBN: Poodle's get-out clause revealed. Junior offered to take him around the block on a leash, but he balked and now he's puddled on the floor.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x491845

[Philestine]

4. Can it be true..

I once read an article that said they pray together.

That is the most sanctimonious load of horse tripe since that bucket of arse made by Mel Gibson.

[Eye and Monkey]

5. "You're a stand-up guy, Poodle. Now down on your knees."

Labour MP George Galloway, a staunch opponent of military action against the Iraqi leader who visited Baghdad last month, launched a vitriolic attack on the prime minister, predicting he would attempt to take the British people to war "with a catch in his voice, and all the sincerity of the Reverend Jimmy Swaggart".

He joked that an horrific image had been conjured up this weekend - "... George W Bush and Tony Blair praying together - before launching 60 days of saturation bombing".

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,4511523-110891,00.html

[bpilgrim]

6. HT - 'i am suprised he is still leader of his country' (45 min threat)

Helen Thomas is on AirAmericaRadio and she is MAD AS HELL!
http://news.globalfreepress.com/mp3/helen_thomas_airamerica_04-16-04.mp3

peace

[anarchy1999]

7. I am guilty of watching just a short portion of the Rose Garden Fiasco,

I tuned in right before Bush called on "april", she asked a question about who would we (the US) be turning the government of Iraq over to come June 30th and who would he (Bush), like to see it be and yes, she wanted Tony to answer as well. Bush rambled on for what seemed like at least 10 minutes (probably was far less), and then passed it to Tony. Tony during the last few minutes of Bush's rambling answer appeared to be gripping his podium hard, he took the pass and covered for Bush. Then, Bush interrupted him, not once, but twice.

I could not help but feel sorry for Tony and felt very ill watching Bush display again to the world how inept he is. I do feel sorry for Tony, can anyone here imagine Bush going up against our Congress every week the way Tony has to with Parliment?

Our pain would have been over months ago.

[jobycom]

11. I heard that

Interrupted Blair twice. Can you imagine the vile in Blair's throat over that one?

[anarchy1999]

13. I was watching and I Really Felt sorry for Tony.

It was like being on stage with an idiot that you feel like you need to knock off. It happened to me yesterday, at least twice. Halliburton protest in Dallas, wingnut comes up and wants to talk to all the media about lights he saw in the sky. The look on Tony's face was just how I felt yesterday. Running interference.

It wasn't the vile, it was a look of "oh, my god, would he just shut up, please--(hands gripping podium, looks of disbelief)"

If ever there should be a screenplay, it should be the last week of "press conferences' with world leaders".

I am so ashamed, and I am so sad. I never thought I would really live to see this happening.

[lostnfound]

16. Bush said 'good job' or something similar to Tony as the last word..

patronizing, or admiring?
Totally inappropriate, like an actor breaking character in an aside to a fellow actor, or a parent to their child after a school play
Or like a little kid telling his big brother, 'wow, you pop wheelies really good'

It was bizarre.

On edit- sorry for redundancy

[AbbeyRoad]

8. "Good job, Prime Minister,"

said Bush after Blair's response to the final question asked in the Rose Garden today. Bush sounded like a parent congratulating their child afer the first time they tie their shoelaces on their own. It was quite sickening to hear.

Blair is a joke, and the false legitimacy he granted to Dubya's invasion of Iraq is unforgivable.

I will dance a jig the day the Brits throw him out on his ass.

[anarchy1999]

9. Cry for Tony, laugh at George.

n/t

Tony at least has a brain, does he use it well, no.

George, well what can we all say............

(a few bricks short, missing a few marbles, ...gosh I bet we could get a real thread on that going, couldn't we.....)

Anyway, give Tony at least a few more points than Dubya. Feel pity for people in painful, no win situations. I think maybe there may actually be some truth to blackmail rumors.................

[lostnfound]

17. More likeable but morally equal or worse

All those brains and what does he use them for?

Bush isn't smart enough to realize he's a host body being used by The Alien, the corporate oligarchy. If he weren't in command of the world's biggest arsenal, and so absent of empathy..he'd almost an object of pity.

Blair is an enabler to a whole lot of evil going on right now.

[jobycom]

10. Anyone catch this line?

"...the White House has a patchy record of honouring its past concessions to British sensibilities."

Lots of leaders have patchy records honouring concessions to British PMs when it comes to invading countries. Mr. Blair's sense of history, and his intelligence, seem a bit overrated.

On edit: Notice the Gaurdian seems to know Bush is not from Texas, referring to his "adopted state."

[anarchy1999]

14. Thank you jobycom for noticing...........

Real Texans do not consider Georgie to be one and we sure as hell don't want him back here. Keep him back East, where he belongs, or in Hell, wherever that may be, and yes, I've heard hell could quite possibly be Texas.

Looking for a home.........somewhere where, a Bush does not roam.

[AP]

12. It also reminds brits of "standing down". I'm sure it wasn't an accident.

Bush would consider his one term a huge success if he were able to take down Tony Blair, I'm sure.

[Layman]

15. Bent Over Guy

He sure don't look like no stand-up guys I know. More like a bent- over-guy.