See pictures of the Bush/Blair "special relationship" from first meeting to "Yo, Blair"
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In a devastating verdict on Tony Blair’s decision to back war in
Iraq and his “totally one-sided” relationship with President Bush, a US
State Department official has said that Britain’s role as a bridge
between America and Europe is now “disappearing before our eyes”.
Kendall Myers, a senior State Department analyst, disclosed that for
all Britain’s attempts to influence US policy in recent years, “we
typically ignore them and take no notice — it’s a sad business”.
He added that he felt “a little ashamed” at Mr Bush’s
treatment of the Prime Minister, who had invested so much of his
political capital in standing shoulder to shoulder with America after
9/11.
Speaking at an academic forum in Washington on Tuesday night, he answered a question from The Times,
saying: “It was a done deal from the beginning, it was a onesided
relationship that was entered into with open eyes . . . there was
nothing. There was no payback, no sense of reciprocity.”
His remarks brought calls from British politicians last night
for the special relationship to be rethought, but also attracted
scathing criticism from one close supporter of the Prime Minister.
Dr Myers had hard words for his own Administration’s record in
the Iraq war: “It’s a bad time, let’s face it. We have not only failed
to do what we wanted to do in Iraq but we have greatly strained our
relationship with [Britain].”
Dr Myers, a specialist in British politics, predicted that the
tight bond between Mr Bush and Mr Blair would not be replicated in the
future. “What I think and fear is that Britain will draw back from the
US without moving closer to Europe. In that sense London’s bridge is
falling down.”
The extraordinarily frank remarks will be seen as further
evidence of the long-standing unease felt within some parts of the
State Department over the direction of White House policy. They may
also be an indication of the weakness of President Bush as he struggles
to stop Iraq sliding into civil war and faces a Democrat-dominated
Congress elected this month.
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