WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (AFP) - To be or not to be a poodle. That was the question Friday and President George W. Bush answered that Britain's Tony Blair 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."
It was more praise than asked for by Blair, who stood by somewhat sheepishly as the question of his poodleness was posed.
"Don't answer yes," was all he told Bush.
11/12/2004 17:29 GMT - AFP