Bush: Blair's No Poodle

But Blair was "not about to behave in a way that could be characterised as the poodle biting back," Sylvester wrote.

For the record, here's the sequence from the movie:

"Reporter: Mr. President, has it been a good visit?

"President: Very satisfactory indeed. We got what we came for and our special relationship is still special.

"Reporter: Mr. Prime Minister?

"Prime Minister: I love that word 'relationship.' Covers all manner of sins, doesn't it? I fear that this has become a bad relationship. A relationship based on the President taking exactly what he wants and casually ignoring all those things that really matter to Britain. We may be a small country but we're a great one, too. The country of Shakespeare, Churchill, the Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter. David Beckham's right foot. David Beckham's left foot, come to that. And a friend who bullies us is no longer a friend. And since bullies only respond to strength, from now onward I will be prepared to be much stronger. And the President should be prepared for that."

Immigration Watch

Ben Feller writes for the Associated Press: "President Bush, short on political capital and time, is devoting much of what's left of his term in office to getting an immigration deal.

"Starting with an April 9 speech in Arizona, in which he talked tough about border security and prodded Congress to get moving, Bush has staged a dozen immigration events. That's not counting his four radio addresses on the topic in that time, or his phone calls to lawmakers, or his bold prediction that he'd see reporters at the bill-signing for a bill that seemed dead."

Feller notes that "each day, a White House strategy team weighs how to maintain momentum on a bill offering legal status to millions of unlawful immigrants.

"A small, core group of officials -- representing policy, communications, strategy and legislative offices -- organizes the approach.

"There is no war room, per se, but rather meetings held in locations at the White House and on Capitol Hill. The participants vary and overlap. The president gets involved when his participation is deemed to have the most impact. His voice is the loudest, but not one to be overused, the strategy goes."

But Bush's push for immigration has its limits. In particular, the White House has gone to great lengths not to have Bush talk about immigration in front of audiences that might not be receptive to his message.