COALITION MEMBER BY LEASH ONLY

From the Reuters wire:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday he was ready to open up contact with captors of a British hostage in Iraq, shown on video begging Blair to save his life.

Kenneth Bigley, 62, appeared on the tape chained and squatting in a cage, pleading to the prime minister for help while accusing him of lying over the hostage crisis.

This is the equivalent of diplomatic recognition of the terrorists who are killing American soldiers and murdering innocent Iraqis, all to prevent representative government in Iraq. Tony Blair has gratuitously dignified and emboldened our enemies, and can no longer be considered an ally of the United States.

I wonder if anybody in the national press corps will think to ask George Bush whether he supports Blair's decision to conduct official contact and negotiation with the decapitators and suicide bombers who are trying to destroy the prospects for representative government in Iraq. Does he consider this the act of a "friend and ally", or is there some new reason why we should blame that flip-flopper John Kerry?

(apologies to Jack, hehe)