‘Yo Bush!’ Tony Blair Mocked as U.S. Poodle

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2006 Responding to Monday's "open mike" incident in Russia, The Guardian said Blair "all but offers to carry [Condoleezza Rice's] bags" to the Middle East (Bush denied him), revealing Blair's subservient role in the relationship. (article, British press reactions) Not to mention the fact that Bush carried on the conversation about one of the most dangerous powder kegs in the world while chewing with an open mouth and barely looking at Blair. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Stewart Makes a Prophetic Bush-Merkel Sexual Joke

Staff / Truthdig Jul 18, 2006 "The Daily Show" host was just being playful last night when he joked that President Bush could have been caught on the open mike talking about German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "camel toe" (a lewd sexual reference). But in light of the just-publicized unsolicited massage Bush gave to Merkel, Stewart is looking prophetic all of a sudden. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Open Mike Catches Bush Blaming Syria for Hezbollah Escalation

Staff / Truthdig Jul 17, 2006 At the G8 summit for world leaders, President Bush was caught on a live microphone telling Tony Blair that he held Syria accountable for Hezbollah's actions against Israel "What they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over," Bush told Blair while chewing on a buttered roll Important: This is not a hypocrisy alert Bush's unguarded statements were for the most part consistent with his public ones But it's still a fascinating glimpse into his manner of interaction with America's closest ally Article Best video/audio/transcript combo: CNNcom (The video link "The sh_t hear 'round the world" in the center of the page--not linkable)Blogger reaction: The Carpetbagger Report: "The president often comes across as an unsophisticated simpleton in publicbut incidents like thissuggest Bush is even less impressive in private Juan Cole: Bush's comments "astonishingly simple-minded" . Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Join Democracy Fest 2006!

Staff / Truthdig Jul 14, 2006 Shameless plug alert: Truthdig managing editor Blair Golson will be co-hosting a panel on alternative media at this weekend's DemocracyFest in San Diego. Tickets for the conference are going fast. Panelists and speakers include Howard Dean, Al Franken, comedian Marc Maron, Democratic strategist Dave Sirota and BuzzFlash Editor Mark Karlin. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Rumor: Tony Blair Will Step Down

Staff / Truthdig May 16, 2006 The British leader has been battered in the polls as of late, and in the UK it's a lot easier to remove a head of government than it is here. AMERICAblog has the gossip (and that's all it is now.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Mark Danner Waves the Smoking Gun

Staff / Truthdig May 5, 2006 New Yorker staff writer and Berkeley professor Mark Danner has a new book exploring America's scandalous indifference to the Downing Street Memo--the "smoking gun" that all but proves Bush was set on going to war in Iraq eight months before the actual invasion. Read the Buzzflash interview Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Ned Lamont: The Truthdig Interview

Blair Golson / Truthdig Apr 26, 2006 The wealthy cable entrepreneur and darling of the progressive blogosphere discusses his antiwar primary challenge against Connecticut's pro-war Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman. "The state party brass, they don't like primaries. Competition is a little unsettling to them." Dig deeper ( 13 Min. Read )

Fool Me Once…

Staff / Truthdig Apr 17, 2006 British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told Bush that the UK will not offer any support to strike Iran, regardless of whether there is a U.N. mandate to do so, according to The Scotsman newspaper. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Postwar Iraq Strategy a Mess, Tony Blair Was Told

Staff / Truthdig Mar 14, 2006 According to leaked secret memos, top advisors to the British leader gave him explicit warnings three years ago that the U.S. had "No leadership, no strategy, no coordination, no structure and [was] inaccessible to ordinary Iraqis." Not that this kind of thing shocks us anymore, but still it's eye-opening when it's confirmed by a staunch ally. Daily Kos tees off on this. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Tony Blair Attacked Over ‘God’ Remarks

Staff / Truthdig Mar 4, 2006 Antiwar critics are castigating the British prime minister for suggesting that his decision to go to war in Iraq would ultimately be judged by God. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Tony Blair: Shut Down Guantanamo Prison

Staff / Truthdig Mar 2, 2006 The British prime minister becomes the latest to urge the closure of the infamous detention center in Cuba Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan and Sen Joe Biden, among others, have all made similar pleas, which the White House has brushed off. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blair OK’d Iraq Invasion Before U.N. Resolution, Book Says

Staff / Truthdig Jan 31, 2006 The new edition of a book by a London University professor claims that the prime minister was prepared to join the war even before the second UN resolution in January 2003 | storyWe're shocked, SHOCKED to learn that the U gambit was apparently a ruse . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )