Day 16: Tony Blair & The Power Of Prayer
Adam BoultonFebruary 04, 2009 5:08 AM
So who's going to be the first foreign leader to greet the new President Obama? Gordon Brown? Angela Merkel? Nicolas Sarkozy? Vladimir Putin? No. The answer is (ex) Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Tony Blair sweeps into Washington today.
First off he's wearing his political hat as Quartet envoy to Palestine and will meet his old friend George Mitchell, the former Northern Ireland peace broker newly appointed as Obama's Middle East envoy.
Then on Thursday, an opportunity for our ex-Prime Minister to do God in a big way.
Mr Blair has been invited to lead the US National Prayer Breakfast.
A spectacular event in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel. Barack Obama is also attending the breakfast and will speak to Mr Blair.
The whole event will be televised.
Such scenes may not delight Mr Brown and other present day leaders, but Mr Blair still has pulling power in the US and is an important part of the glue holding together the special relationship.
* * *
Mr Obama may feel more in need of the power of prayer then ever after his tough political baptism. In spite of losing the last election Republicans in Congress and the media are proving to be tough opponents.
The President is making bi-partisan gestures, with the appointment of Senator Judd Gregg he now has three republicans in his cabinet - at Commerce, Defense and Transportation - but the Republicans seem willing to bank those without stinting in their attacks on the stimulus package and nominees to the Administration in need of confirmation by the Senate.
The loss of Health Secretary designate Tom Daschle yesterday was a blow indeed.
He is a former Senate leader, well qualified to reform America's controversial health care system.
But he also had to own up to more than $100,000 unpaid taxes on benefits received as part of the billions he earned from businesses (including some in healthcare), since losing his Senate seat in 2004.
As soon as he became President, Obama promised the highest standards of probity ever from his Administration as well as a clamp down on lobbying.
These pledges have now been used as a weapon against him - at least three of his nominees, including Daschle and former Presidential candidate Bill Richardson have now pulled out of new jobs in the government - to avoid further embarrassment.
Obama has responded quickly to take the blame - saying he "screwed up" nominating good people but with faulty records.
Mr Blair may find the time to have a friendly word of advice with the new President.
After all his early boasts to be purer than pure quickly caused all kinds of problems for new Labour, starting with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone's £1 million donation.
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