Who dat?

September 1, 2010, 2:06 pm

Blair Recalls Bush Asked, ‘Who Is This Guy?’ After Meeting Belgium’s Leader

By ROBERT MACKEY

Epa-Ansa/Alessandro Bianchi President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy with other world leaders at a Group of 8 summit meting in Genoa, Italy in 2001. Belgium’s prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt, sat directly across a large table from the American president.

While most reports in Britain on the publication of Tony’s Blair’s new memoir have focused on his frank assessment of the weaknesses of his successor, Gordon Brown, one newspaper notes that there are also some recollections that might make another old friend, former President George W. Bush, uncomfortable. The Telegraph reports:

In his new book, A Journey, Mr Blair writes that the former U.S. president was confused by the presence of Guy Verhofstadt at the 2001 G-8 summit in Genoa.
“He didn’t know or recognize Guy, whose advice he listened to with considerable astonishment,” Mr Blair writes. “He then turned to me and whispered, ‘Who is this guy?’ ‘He is the prime minister of Belgium,’ I said.

Mr. Bush soon became better acquainted with the Belgian leader, who visited the White House later that year and again in 2006, when my colleague Stephen Crowley captured this triptych of Mr. Verhofstadt making the American president laugh while recounting a mountain biking tale:

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times As photographers set up before a news conference at the White House in 2006, Mr. Verhofstadt, amused President Bush with a story about mountain biking.

This, or that

This is a picture of the two main contenders in the recent Australian election, which remains undecided as of 31 August 2010 (Australian election remains on a knife-edge with Green MP the kingmaker). Ten days earlier this picture appeared, ad it seems a perfectly appropriate commentary on Australian politicians specifically, and all politicians in general: they will say anything, earnestly, and some times say exactly the opposite of what they just said. Ask a politician a question, and you'll get two answer (which amounts to no answer).