It's a Lap Dog's Life

Blair heads to D.C. to beg for Bush's support on G8 climate agenda

U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair has put his political life on the line to support the Bush administration numerous times, citing the "special relationship" between the two countries. Ha ha, sucka! Next week Blair will fly to Washington, D.C., to beg the Bushies to support his ambitious agenda for July's meeting of the G8 countries, but they have been -- and show every sign of continuing to be -- entirely intransigent on the subject. At the center of Blair's agenda are climate change and aid to Africa. On the climate issue, Blair wants Bush to agree to a new cap on carbon emissions, acknowledge the validity of climate-change science, and invest in new green technologies. Harlan Watson, Bush's chief climate negotiator, said in May that the administration would agree to the third, but that's it. Blair also wants a pony, a chocolate ice-cream cone, and a stop to all the poodle jokes, but he's probably not going to get those either.