Will Iraq end the careers of Bush and Blair?

London - Their invasion of Iraq made them hate figures for the global anti-war lobby.

Their domestic popularity has plummeted, leaving them vulnerable in forthcoming elections. And both face damaging probes into their government's conduct on Iraq.

But while British Prime Minister Tony Blair has cause to believe his long political nightmare over Iraq may be past the worst, his American ally and counterpart George Bush is lurching deeper into trouble, analysts and diplomats believe.

'For Bush, the clouds are only just gathering'
"Blair has ridden his storm. From here on, he may even see a bit of a recovery," Professor Michael Cox, a UK-based expert on international relations, told Reuters.

"For Bush, the clouds are only just gathering."

Until recently, Bush had looked on with pity as Blair took a political beating before and after the Iraq war - with only a brief respite when British soldiers were engaged in combat.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1065103740864B262&set_id=1

because of LIES. It's as simple as that. They both ought to be charged with war crimes an prosecuted in the ICC.

but I just dont know what the heck is going on with the american electorate.........California is an eyelash away from electing a neophyte with a history of groping women and absolutely no political acumen, a man who ducks debates as if they were the plague, speaks only in generalities, has no specific programs.

On the national stage we have nine democrats and whatever the hell Clark is saying pretty much nothing that registers with the electorate.

On the international stage we see a debacle in Afghanistan and Iraq, a growing playground for AlQaeda and the other terrorist groups, an almost certainty that , in a few short years, both those nations will be under the control of fundamentalist regimes, and most americans are cheering Bush's inactions and lack of planning ...so who can say what is going to happen next?

I definitely should, and even beyond that they should be tried as war criminals. The rest of the world saw through their lies and now they should pay for it. There was no justification for the war; there was no authorization for it. The invasion of Iraq was a war crime on its face.

It's tough to say. I look at my neighbors down the street, who settle in after a day's work to watch the news and squeeze their beer can. You just gotta wonder: what will it take for these people to wake up? I have several friends who have lost their jobs, and have been unemployed for up to 2 years. These people definitely have an opinon about Bush, and it's not favorable.

As far as the UK, who knows? Blair gets to stay in longer, I think their terms last 8 years (or is it 6?). Anyway, he has a little bit more time to recoup.

Blair can push for international cooperation on Iraq, which will put him at odds with Bush and help his lap-dog image in the U.K.

But for Bush, the Iraq quagmire will not get better, and the economy will probably get worse over the next six months. In fact, the next recession will make the last one look like a trailer for the film.

Add to that: scandals, scandals, and their total incompetance at anything except office discipline (easy to keep unprincipled people in line -- they needen't consult their conciouses), and I can see Bush's approval ratings falling to about 25%-30%, or whatever the percentage of Americans it is that would never turn against the president that Rush is telling them is a god.

If Limbaugh and his ilk aren't around to do that, it could drop to levels not seen since Truman or Nixon, which is around 20%.

Iraq was the greatest foreign policy mistake in American history. And the economy is in greatest danger since the 1930s. How could George W. Bush and Dick Cheney possible get us out of that?

We lucked out with Lincoln and Roosevelt, but this time, WOW!

And think, we coulda had Al Gore, the most visionary leader in American politics, IMHO.

END OF RANT

Blair is essentially unaccountable these days thanks to his landslide majority, his cowardly sycophantic MP's and his ability to stifle his party. He will cling to power for as long as he possibly can, regardless of the damage that he may do to his party and his country in the proccess. He is damaged goods now but he will not go without a fight.

For Bush it depends on such matters as what the Democrats do.

But if not Iraq, maybe something else will.

Bush has 200 million dollars in his re-election kitty. You can buy a lot of air time with that, and talk direct to the voters right over the head of the media commentators. I reckon he can buy his way back, without breaking much of a sweat. Especially with the employment figures starting to turn his way.

Blair will talk his way out of trouble...his respect for truth and honesty is so slight, and his ability to pretend sincerity and passion so great, that nothing will stand in his way either.