The Blair Bush Project

Bush has been asked often about the faulty intelligence used by the administration in making a case for the Iraq war, but he has not been questioned about this memo or how an ally as close as Britain could have come to a conclusion that the administration was "fixing" the intelligence toward supporting a war effort.

See the "Memo Watch" item in my May 24 column to see how spokesman Scott McClellan dodged just that question when it was put to him by a blogger.

James S. Robbins writes in the National Review Online that the memo is mostly old news. "It is sad when hearsay thrice-removed raises this kind of ruckus, especially since a version had been reported three years ago."

Walking Wounded

When it comes to rewarding Blair, of course, one thing to keep in mind is that maybe Bush isn't exactly in a position to be generous.

Kenneth R. Bazinet writes in the New York Daily News: "President Bush hosts British Prime Minister Tony Blair today for what amounts to a summit of the walking wounded, as both leaders suffer from declining popularity and languishing agendas."

An in fact, this morning's sneak peak at a Washington Post-ABC News poll is full of grim portents for Bush.

Richard Morin writes for washingtonpost.com: "A clear majority of Americans say President Bush is ignoring the public's concerns and instead has become distracted by issues that most people say they care little about, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

"The survey found that 58 percent of those interviewed said Bush is concentrating mainly in his second term on problems and partisan squabbles that these respondents said were unimportant to them. Four in 10 -- 41 percent -- said the president was focused on important problems -- a double-digit drop from three years ago. . . .

"Overall, the president's job approval rating stood at 48 percent, virtually identical to where it was last month. Currently 52 percent of the public disapproves of the job Bush is doing as president, the first time in his presidency that more than half of the public has expressed negative views of the president's performance."

Today's Meeting

Peter Baker writes in The Washington Post: "President Bush plans to announce today that he will steer $674 million in additional U.S. humanitarian relief to Africa, a move timed as a gesture to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his close ally, who has unsuccessfully pushed the president to embrace a far more expansive African aid package. . . .

"But if Blair hoped for a greater payback, Bush has indicated that he will not go along."

John Daniszewski writes in the Los Angeles Times: "When Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with President Bush today, he might feel justified in posing this question: What does faithful support through two difficult wars earn a loyal ally who is looking for help for the world's neediest continent? . . .