Bush and Blair, Roosevelt and Churchill
Martin Gilbert makes the case that comparisons may not be unfavorable to the current officeholders. First, the serious:
Churchill planned a peace conference after the war, at which he and Roosevelt could persuade the king of Saudi Arabia to agree to the creation of a Jewish sovereign state in Palestine. Roosevelt died and Churchill was thrown out of office before the conference could take place. Instead of a Jewish state being created with Arab approval, the United Nations proposed two states, one Jewish, one Arab, with Jerusalem under international control. The Jews accepted. The Arabs did not, and launched five armies against the Jewish state, a failure of Arab leadership that has led to six decades of conflict.
It may be that in our time Bush and Blair will show the leadership needed to set the two-state solution back on track. Both are now firmly in the political saddle. Their leadership qualities will be put to the test in bringing the Israelis and Palestinians together in working toward an agreement. If they succeed, they will have completed what Churchill and Roosevelt inspired and will, without doubt, have sealed their place in history.
Then a silly but delightful comment from our 32nd president:
Bush recently said at a White House meeting with Blair: ‘I am a lucky person, a lucky President, to be holding office at the same time this man holds the prime ministership.’ This brings to mind Roosevelt’s comment to Churchill: ‘It is fun being in the same decade as you.’ Behind these words are a hidden wealth of allied co-operation on the future.