And These Are The Guys In Charge...

Bush and Blair’s toe-curling chat
18/07/06
BUDDIES Tony Blair and George Bush were deeply embarrassed last night after being caught using distinctly undiplomatic remarks in some off-guarded moments.

Their expletive-ridden chat at the G8 Summit moved on from how they could solve the Middle East crisis to the serious matter of the sweater that the Prime Minister had given the US President as a gift.

Aides are now battling to repair the damage after the two leaders spoke frankly, and somewhat fruitily, over lunch in St Petersburg, unaware their remarks were being recorded by a TV microphone.

One ripe exchange about the situation in Lebanon risked infuriating the Syrian government. Mr Bush, famous for mangling the English language, used forthright Anglo-Saxon comments about terrorist-backing Syria.

He told Mr Blair that Hezbollah terrorists needed to be pressured by Syria to "stop doing this s***."

The Prime Minister volunteered himself for a possibly demeaning PR role in negotiations, offering to go to the Middle East to "just talk".

To round off the humiliation, Mr Blair was heard making a fawning joke about the jumper he gave Mr Bush as a 60th birthday gift. He told the President: "I knitted it!"

In another toe-curling moment, the pair referred to UN chief Kofi Annan as "sweet" and "a honey".

More embarrassment was spared when Mr Blair noticed the microphone – part of the summit’s closed-circuit TV system – and hastily switched it off.

In one telling indication of their relationship, Mr Bush greeted the Prime Minister with: "Yo, Blair!"

He told him: "Thanks for the sweater – I know you picked it."

Mr Blair simpered back: "Oh yes, absolutely. In fact I knitted it!"

Mr Bush went on to possibly worsen America’s shaky relations with Syria, saying: "You see, the thing is what they need to do is to get Syria, to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s*** and it’s over."

Mr Bush went on to reveal that his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, was to head for some shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East.

"I think Condi is going to go pretty soon," he told Mr Blair.

The Prime Minister replied: "If she goes out she has to succeed whereas I can go and just talk."


Source - Daily Express

On a side note, you've probably seen this before but it's so damn funny...