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Britain's Former First Lady Shares Conceptional Details
Tony Blair posed with his family before departing the prime ministerial residence for the last time in June 2007. From left are Euan, Blair, Kathryn, Cherie and Nicky. Leo, in front, was born nine months after a visit by the Blairs to Queen Elizabeth II's Balmoral estate.
(Tom Hevezi - AP)
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A pregnancy test confirmed that it was indeed not "the menopause," and Blair, at 45, gave birth to Leo the following May -- the first baby born to a sitting prime minister in 150 years.
On other subjects, Cherie Blair reveals that she thought former president Bill Clinton was "bloody stupid" for involving himself with Monica Lewinsky.
"My reaction was basically, Oh Bill, how could you?" Blair writes.
Blair says she discussed the Lewinsky affair with Hillary Rodham Clinton. "If I had been impressed by Hillary before, I was doubly impressed by her now. Dignity is not the word."
She said Hillary Clinton told her that she wanted to make sure the scandal didn't undermine her husband's presidency. "On a personal level, however, there is no doubt that she was furious and hurt -- and rightly."
Blair also writes that when she and the prime minister realized George W. Bush had defeated Al Gore in the 2000 election, "our hearts sank." She said that Bush "didn't seem comfortable with foreign affairs," but that "Tony was determined that they should have a good relationship."
But from the moment of their initial meeting at Camp David in early 2001, Blair writes, she concluded that "George is actually a very funny, charming man with a quirky sense of humor."
The British tabloids were only mildly interested in the geopolitics. They were still stuck on Balmoral, particularly on Blair's disclosure that she had not packed her "contraceptive equipment."
In the Sun, columnist Jane Moore mused about what "equipment" Blair might have meant. She said most contraceptives would fit nicely in a purse, which wouldn't be examined by any "royal flunkies."
"So what could it be?" Moore wrote. "A cumbersome, antique chastity belt perhaps? A full wetsuit and flippers to keep a clearly frisky Tony at bay? The nation awaits clarification with bated breath."
