NYPost

HOW BLAIR AND BUSH CEMENTED SPECIAL LINK

By GREG RUSSELL

October 7, 2001 -- LONDON - An alliance that seems certain to form the backbone of the worldwide fight against terrorism was clinched in a New York traffic jam.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair had just finished a visit to ground zero in lower Manhattan and needed to be in Washington for a dinner meeting with President Bush.

With Manhattan streets closed because of the World Trade Center tragedy, and traffic in the city chaotic, Blair and his aides realized they were running late - in fact, two hours behind schedule.

The telephone call from the Blair motorcade to President Bush, a notorious stickler for punctuality, could have been tense. Instead, there was an air of understanding.

And later that night, when Blair finally arrived at the White House, the president laid on a VIP welcome insiders said was as warm as any given by the new administration.

As the party had pre-dinner drinks in the Blue Room, Bush and Blair withdrew to a window overlooking the garden to talk alone. Then, they went upstairs to the president's dressing room for another private conversation.

It was a defining moment in their relationship, sources said.

Just a few months ago at Camp David, when they met for the first time since Bush was elected president, their meeting was cordial as they exchanged gifts and did the necessary photo call.

At the time, they spoke of a "special relationship," but few believed Bush and Blair would ever be as close as the prime minister was to former President Bill Clinton, who bonded instantly and famously with the Brit.

But the events of the past month have redefined the new relationship between No. 10 Downing Street and the White House. More significantly, they have underlined the key role Blair now intends to play in world politics.

In the days that followed Blair's visit to Washington to meet with Bush and listen to his address to the joint houses in the wake of the terrorists attacks, the British prime minister has worked tirelessly to build the coalition to fight terrorism.

As Bush activated troops, bunkered with Pentagon experts and met at the White House with a handful of foreign dignitaries, Blair did the legwork.

He met with or contacted at least 27 world leaders, including President Jiang Zemin of China and elected leaders of 15 European countries. On one day, Blair hosted five African presidents.

In just three weeks he has logged thousands of miles in the air as he has traveled across Europe and Central Asia, including last week's sensitive, but vital, visit to Pakistan.

And when those in the coalition began to waver because of insufficient evidence implicating Osama bin Laden in the terrorists attacks, it was Blair who released the hard-hitting facts that showed al Qaeda to be a deadly force.

"It has been tiring work and it clearly has taken a toll on the prime minister, who has looked drawn and tired in recent days," a staff member said. "But he understands it is a job that has to be done, and one he wants to get done."

Now the command to strike against Osama bin Laden has to be given, possibly within days.

While that will undoubtedly be the president's call - after all, it was the U.S. that suffered the most - the prime minister will echo the charge.

And the world will see that in just a few short weeks, Blair has not only fulfilled his long-stated goal of turning Britain into a bridge between America and Europe, but he also has replanted the Union Jack alongside Old Glory as a flag of world force.

-- Anonymous, October 07, 2001