London's Blair voices support for Bush's position on Iraq

LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair, besieged by critics in his own party and by opinion polls showing strong opposition to military action against Iraq, Tuesday forcefully articulated the case against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and delivered a spirited defense of the United States and President Bush.

Blair spoke as European Union foreign ministers appeared to be moving toward bridging a gap with the Bush administration with a proposal for a new Security Council resolution that would set a deadline for Iraq to readmit United Nations weapons inspectors unconditionally or face military action.

In tones that were alternately angry, lecturing and puzzled, Blair lashed out at the Iraqi government, which he described as "appalling and brutal and dictatorial." He said it was continuing to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in violation of nine previous Security Council resolutions.

"This isn't just an issue for the United States," Blair told reporters in a 90-minute press conference. "It is an issue for Britain, it is an issue for the wider world. America shouldn't have to face it alone."

Britain will publish a dossier of Iraq's violations within the next few weeks, Blair said.

Britain has been the United States' closest ally in the military campaigns of the past year. At the same time, it has often worked to close differences between Washington and other European governments which have viewed U.S. policies with skepticism.

'Bush's poodle'

While Blair was on summer vacation, British public opinion turned sharply against military action, with the most recent poll by ICM Research reporting 71 percent are opposed to British involvement in an invasion of Iraq. Published in Monday's Daily Mirror newspaper, the poll showed that 38 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that Blair "is Bush's poodle."

The prime minister seemed to bristle at the notion. "Look, I would never support anything I thought was wrong out of some blind loyalty to the United States," he told reporters. "Some of what I read -- I mean, let's not beat around the bush -- a lot of it is just straightforward anti-Americanism."

Blair said he understood that reasonable people had legitimate concerns about how a military campaign against Saddam would affect Middle East stability and the Arab-Israeli conflict. But he said some of the criticism of Washington was "wrong, misguided and dangerous. I also think that some of the criticism of George Bush is just a parody. The person that I know and work with operates on these security issues in a calm and sensible and measured way."