Earthling in the Middle.(Hug Them Close: Blair, Clinton, Bush and the 'Special Relationship)(Book Review)

Washington expresses its frustration with France and Germany, as British Prime Minister Tony Blair warns about a serious threat from Saddam Hussein and WMD. 2003? No, 1999. The diplomatic disagreements that have made headlines over the past year grew their roots well before the Bush administration's war on terror began, according to Peter Riddell, the chief political commentator of The Times of London.

Riddell's new book, "Hug Them Close: Blair, Clinton, Bush and the 'Special Relationship'," reveals how the British leader's triangulations of Europe and America began almost from the day he became prime minister. In 1997 Blair had seen intelligence reports on Saddam's ambitions and soon became fervently convinced of the need for action. As America and Europe bickered over their strategy for the Balkans, Blair tried to persuade both Bill Clinton and European leaders to take concrete steps to deal with the threat from Iraq. Despite his close ideological ties to Clinton, however, Blair made little headway on this front until George W. Bush was elected in 2000.

The explanation, according to Riddell, lies both in Blair's political personality and in the lessons he learned the hard ...