Bush on Blair: 'Some of our allies wavered. Tony never did'
George Bush's memoirs detail close friendship with former PM – and a testy argument with Cherie about the death penalty
· Ewen MacAskill in Washington
George Bush sees Tony Blair as having been his staunchest ally abroad, one who, unlike other leaders, never wavered in support for America.
Bush was initially sceptical, given that Blair was leader of the Labour party and a close friend of Bill Clinton's. But the president's first call after 9/11 was to Blair, and, Bush says, that cemented the alliance.
The two became good friends: Bush even claims to have enjoyed a testy argument over dinner with Cherie about the death penalty. The president recounts their various meetings, from his ranch in Crawford in Texas, to a pub lunch at the Dun Cow in Blair's north of England constituency.
For those who often wonder if leaders are evenly remotely effected by protests, Bush says of the Dun Cow visit: "The people were decent and welcoming, aside from the protester who carried a sign that read 'Mad Cowboy Disease'."
Bush said that in the Oval Office he kept busts of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower and Winston Churchill; the latter was a loan from Blair, and one which was later moved by Obama. Bush acknowledges that all four were wartime leaders, but said that he did not have this in mind when he chose them.
Blair and Bush first met at the Crawford ranch in February 2001. "I quickly found he was candid, friendly and engaging. There was no stiffness about Tony and Cherie. After dinner, we decided to watch a movie. When they agreed on Meet the Parents, a comedy starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller, Laura and I knew the Bushes and Blairs would get along."
On a visit to the UK at the prime minister's residence, Chequers, that summer, the issue of the death penalty came up in conversation. "Cherie made clear she didn't agree with my position. Tony looked a little uncomfortable. I listened to her views and then defended mine." He said that she was a talented lawyer whom he came to respect.
At one point in the dinner, "Laura and I overheard Euan, the Blair's bright 17-year-old, say 'Give the man a break, Mother'."
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Bush says: "Tony began by saying he was 'in a state of shock' and he would stand with America '100%' in fighting terror. There was no equivocation in his voice. The conversation helped cement the closest friendship I would form with any foreign leader. As the years passed and the wartime decisions grew tougher, some of our allies wavered. Tony Blair never did." Bush does not reveal whether the two prayed together, something Blair initially refused to comment on and later denied.
Bush confirms Blair asked him in April 2002 at Crawford to go to the UN to get its backing before invading Iraq. "I didn't have a lot of faith in the UN. The Security Council had passed sixteen resolutions against Saddam to no avail. But I agreed to consider the idea."
Blair in late January asked Bush to support him in going back to the UN for a second resolution. Bush dreaded the thought, as did his immediate circle, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld, but agreed to try. They failed.
At a summit at the Azores, just before the war, he saw Blair again. Blair faced a crucial Commons vote on Iraq and told Bush he would resign if he lost it. "I never imagined I would be following a British parliamentary vote so closely, let alone pulling for the Labour prime minister," Bush said. He told Rice he hoped it would not be the last time he saw him.
One of Blair's traits that Bush liked was his sense of humour. When Blair departed Downing Street to take on the job as Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiator, Bush recalls Blair joking: "If I win the Nobel peace prize, you'll know I have failed."
· guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010
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