US Senate to thank Blair for support
US lawmakers have drafted a resolution thanking Tony Blair for backing America in the war against Iraq.
Senators are expected to vote overwhelmingly in favour of the resolution which praises the British Prime Minister and the British government “for their courageous and steadfast support”.
It also expresses gratitude to US soldiers and their families, and calls for support for President George W Bush as Commander in Chief.
A similar resolution is expected to be passed by the House of Representatives.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert said: “American troops, joined by our British friends, have embarked on a noble mission to free the Iraqi people from an evil tyrant.”
Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, who fiercely criticised Mr Bush’s handling of the diplomatic crisis over Iraq earlier this week, also backed the resolution.
“We may have had differences of opinion about what brought us to this point, but the President is the commander in chief and today we unite behind him,” he said.
Mr Blair’s steadfast support for the Bush Administration over Iraq has made him a popular figure in the US.
An editorial in the New York Daily News last week was headlined, “God Save Tony Blair”, and went on to thank the Prime Minister for being an “ally in the truest sense of the word”.
A spokeswoman for the US Senate said it was not yet known when the resolution would be voted on.
