As Chris in Paris wrote in his earlier post about Tony Blair's successor Gordon Brown's then-upcoming meeting with Bush, he noted that Brown should keep in mind that most Americans and Brits want change and want out of Iraq.
Gordon Brown last night praised George Bush for leading the global war on terror -- saying the world owed America a huge debt.
The Prime Minister vowed to take Winston Churchill's lead and make Britain's ties with America even stronger.
Mr Brown stunned critics by THANKING President Bush for the fight against Islamic extremism, and insisted the UK-US relationship will be his No1 foreign policy priority.
..."We acknowledge the debt the world owes to the US for its leadership in this fight against international terrorism."
There's nothing wrong with expressing support for a strong partnership with the U.S., but there was no reason for him to affirm Big Military Anti-Terrorism Adventures -- if this is what he calls fighting terrorism, Brown may not be PM for long.
The Times Online, however, says the pressure for a Brit pullout on Brown is not far from his mind.
Downing Street remains emphatic that he will not unveil a plan to withdraw British troops, who are due to remain in southern Iraq until the Iraqi army is deemed capable of maintaining security. A spokesman said there had been no change in the government's position.
Behind the scenes, however, American officials are picking up what they believe are signals that a change of British policy on Iraq is imminent.
..."The view is Britain feels it can't fight two wars, and Afghanistan is more worth fighting for,” added the source. Yesterday a British soldier was killed during a rocket attack in Afghanistan, bringing to 67 the number of British fatalities there.
Also, check out the AP story on this same meeting between Brown and Bush. It's a decidedly different spin.
Brown took power just a month ago, with strong early marks for his response to terror threats and catastrophic flooding at home. He faces the tricky task of helping Bush tackle world crises without getting too closely aligned with a U.S. leader scorned in Britain.
Bush, meanwhile, likes to size up a fellow world leader in person and, over time, measure the person's mettle under fire. Yet he doesn't have much time left. And his popularity, along with a good bit of clout, have worn away with the war in Iraq.
"What the president wants to find out is whether the new prime minister is a reliable ally," said Simon Serfaty, a European expert at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. "The word to use is reassurance. This is not about a marriage. It's a date."
...Brown's spokesman Michael Ellam said there was no plan to withdraw British troops before the Iraqi army is deemed capable of maintaining security. Notably, though, Brown is covering his bases. After leaving Bush, he planned to meet leaders on Capitol Hill.
