RoguePlanet

Sit! Stay!

Someone dared to ask Bush if he agrees with characterizations of Tony Blair as his poodle:

To be or not to be a poodle. That was the question and President George W. Bush answered that Britain's Tony Blair (news - web sites) was a faithful friend, but nobody's pet.

The US leader was visibly not amused when asked half-jokingly at a news conference with Blair whether he agreed with the occasional characterization of his closest European ally in Iraq as "your poodle."

Glowering, Bush responded that Blair was a strong, capable leader who "made a decision because he wanted to do a duty to secure the people of Great Britain."

"I admire him a lot," Bush went on. "You know why? When he tells you something, he means it. You ever spend much time in politics? You'll notice there are people around this kind of line (of work) where, they tell you something, they don't mean it."

"He's a big thinker. He's got a clear vision. And when times get tough, he doesn't wilt. You know, when the criticism starts to come his way -- I suspect that might be happening on occasion -- he stands for what he believes in."

Visibly embarrassed by Bush's fulsome praise, Blair interjected.

"Mr. President, you're too kind, but - " Blair began.

"Let me finish!" Bush snapped loudly. "I'll tell you when it's your turn to talk."

(Read the original; it's actually funnier than my embellished version)