Well the request for British troops to cover US gaps in Iraq is really going down like a cup of cold sick over here, dominating political coverage just at the time Blair was attempting to "move on" from the issue of Iraq - as can be seen from the most recent Government briefings for the press (sadly only summaries are available, not transcripts)
Tuesday afternoon press briefing by the Prime Minister's office
Wednesday morning press briefing by the Prime Minister's office
Apparently the official line Blair is pushing is that
"There has been a request by the American military to the British military - not a request politically from the United States President to me, but a request from the United States military to the British military. That request is being considered"
While at today's regular 30 minute question time session in the House of Commons he insisted that "This has nothing to do with the American elections. It has everything, however, to do with the Iraqi elections in January."
He went on to state that no decision had been taken on such a deployment yet but but then contradicted himself by declaring "he couldn't say where the troops would be deployed". And as if he was taking some private bet on the number of foolhardy statements he could make in one session he also confidently predicted "that "if" the Black Watch was re-deployed, they would still be back for Christmas."
Needless to say this performance was greeted with the sort of reception one normally associates with Daffy Duck's magic routines.One could almost see the tumbleweeds rolling behind him as his own party's representatives lined up to take potshots at him. They might have reason to be nervous.
So is Blair just naive or has he decided that if Kerry is elected his own career is finished?