Parting gifts for Bush's brothers in arms

by Dave Keating | January 14, 2009 at 12:31 am

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George W. Bush awarded America's highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom, to three other world leaders who supported his invasion of Iraq yesterday: former UK prime minister Tony Blair, former Australian prime minister John Howard, and Columbian leader Alvaro Uribe. It is perhaps an ironic gift to be giving just a week before Bush leaves office. Two of these leaders were ousted from power in their home countries partly as a result of their support of the Iraq War.

In the UK, the reaction to Blair's honour was pointed:

The man mocked as George Bush's poodle was back in Washington yesterday to accept an offer he couldn't refuse: the Presidential Medal of Freedom for services rendered in the "war on terror" and in what Mr Bush maintains is that war's central front – Iraq.

Tony Blair may be little loved these days in his own country, and hasn't exactly covered himself in glory in his current role as special envoy for the Quartet of great powers, standing impotently by as Gaza goes up in flames. But like Margaret Thatcher before him, a former British prime minister has found that in America, life after political death exists.

The ceremony was attended by many of the key players in the Iraq war, including former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his former deputy secretary, Paul Wolfowitz.

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