More on Tony Blair—and George W. Bush

John O'Sullivan, British native and former aide to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, has a good column on Tony Blair's predicament. His prediction: Blair is going to stay in for a while.

Blair himself has come roaring back with a speech defending his policy on Iraq.

Speaking of which, George W. Bush has been in feisty form this week, first on Monday at his speech and Q&A at the City Club in Cleveland, then in his press conference Tuesday morning. Especially fun is his interchange with Helen Thomas. Extemporaneous speaking has never been Bush's métier. Too often he mangles his sentence structure, pauses awkwardly, and inserts "ums." He tends to give the impression he's unsure of himself. It's a vivid contrast to what I and many others have seen when Bush speaks extemporaneously off camera. In those settings he speaks forcefully, shows steady command of facts and arguments, and seems impressively well informed. At the press conference Tuesday, this Bush was often visible. He may be in trouble in the polls, but he seems to believe that he has a strong case to make and a duty to make sure his policies are successful.