Blair makes farewell White House call

WASHINGTON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair made the final White House visit of his tenure on Thursday, marking a friendship with President Bush that many believe tarnished the legacy of the once-popular British leader.

Blair’s visit, designed to honor the Bush-Blair partnership, produced no major policy statements. The two men discussed a range of issues Thursday, including the genocide in Darfur, global climate change, which Bush called “a serious issue,” and the upcoming G-8 meeting.

Blair, the staunchest of U.S. allies on Iraq, predicted that Britain would continue to stand side by side with the United States after he leaves office. He said he did not regret his decision to join Bush in supporting the war in Iraq and “I believe that we will remain a staunch and steadfast ally in the fight against terrorism.”

“Thank you for the strength of your leadership over the past few years,” Blair said to the president. “The United States and Britain is a relationship that is in the interest of our two countries, and the peace and stability of the wider world. I’ve never doubted its importance.”

“Our two nations should always work together,” Blair said at the Rose Garden conference. “It’s served us well in the past. It’s a relationship that is about a shared future.”

Blair, once enormously popular in his country, saw his popularity tumble largely over his alliance with Bush on Iraq.

Bush praises prime minister
The president praised Blair, calling him extremely effective as a leader and “dogged” when he gets on a subject. “I appreciate the fact that he can see beyond the horizon. And that’s the kind of leadership the world needs,” Bush said.

Asked by a British reporter if Blair was the right person for Bush to be dealing with now, given that he will leave office on June 27, Bush said absolutely. “You’re trying to do a tap dance on his political grave,” the president said.

Blair said he was proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder beside the U.S. since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks: “I admire him as a president and I regard him as a friend.”

Bush voiced optimism that he could reach a deal with Congress on a stalled $124.2 billion spending bill to help pay for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Congress and the White House have been at loggerheads over war spending since earlier this month when Bush vetoed the measure after the Democratic-controlled Congress added provisions for troop withdrawals to begin Oct. 1.

Bush said he had instructed Joshua Bolten, his chief of staff, to stay in close touch with congressional leaders. He said he agrees with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that time is of the essence. And he said he respected the desire of members to include benchmarks in the bill that the Iraqi government should meet.

“I’m optimistic we can do so,” Bush said.

Regrets for Wolfowitz
Answering reporters, Bush seemed resigned to the possibility that World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz could lose his job over conflict-of-interest charges involving his girlfriend.

“I regret that it has come to this,” Bush said, as the bank’s 24-member board was set to resume deliberations on Wolfowitz’s fate.

Wolfowitz and the Bush administration were seeking a face-saving deal with the board that would allow him to resign under his own terms and escape some blame for the furor involving his girlfriend’s compensation.

Pressure on Wolfowitz to step down has grown since Monday’s release of a bank panel report on his handling of the 2005 pay package of bank employee Shaha Riza.

Wolfowitz contends he acted in good faith.

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