If they both decide to retire from political life, and become car salesmen :-
Question 1. Would you buy a second hand car from Tony Blair?
Question 2. Would you buy a second hand car from George W. Bush?
Please give brief reasons for your answers.
My own are :-
No to Blair. He seems the archetypal 'con-man' with his fixed smile and manner, and he's been caught out too many times and been accused of lying by leading figures, including senior members of his own political party.
Yes to Bush. He's naive and badly advised, but I think he's honest.

I wouldn't buy a used car from either.

No to Blair for the reasons that aramis stated. There's just something unpleasant about him.

Not to Bush because he'd only be selling Hummers!

Definite no to both, can't abide either of them.

Blair is out for number one and lies his way out of trouble every time, just imagine trying to get a fault rectified under warrantee.

Bush, he thinks we are all stupid so would sell a lemon everytime. If he said the car was in good condition, well would you believe a man who claimed that Iraq could activate weapons of mass destrction within 45 minutes? I wouldn't. If you are going to use the defence that he was conned himself, then presumably he would believe his mechanics if they said a rotten car was sound.

I still think both should retire, now that is an excellent idea.

It would be so nice if they could go away together and practise organising the proverbial celebration in a brewery that many feel they are not quite qualified to organise.

I wouldn't want to buy anything from either of them - not even an apple or orange, just as I don't "buy" their policies. In fact, I'm wouldn't want to get near to either of these politicians.

I'll always remember Blair travelling on the extension to the Julilee line some years ago, a few days it had been opened. There was Blair, alone (though obviously with TV camera crews, etc) in a an underground railway carriage, and the only other passenger was a young woman with headphones listening to music. She didn't notice him, despite his repeated attempts to attract her attention. He was far from amused, but I found it hilariously funny.

Question 1: No opinion, as I know very little about Blair and his policies.
Question 2: Yes, because I envision Bush trying to sell a Ford pickup (which I would love to own someday). A match made in heaven. PS- aramis, I agree with you.

With hindsight I do believe that you are correct about it being Blair. I am sure we can find some reason not to buy from Bush, I can't stand the man.

How about the $34 million he wasted on his inauguration, which could have gone to some far better causes, like the tsunami victims, or education.

Presidential inaugurations in every country of the world cost many millions. The inauguration costs for George Bush were nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly not expensive for such an occasion. Royal coronations, though rarer, cost a great deal more. Such occasions give countries a chance to celebrate their heritage and for the money are great value!

I still wouldn't buy a car from him, or Blair. Come to think of it there aren't many politicians who I would buy a car from.

Who else would be a good contender, not just from politics?

In a democracy the question is not whether people would buy a car from you,but whether you can make people vote for you.
Bush has proved he can make the Americans vote for him. Though it must be admitted that the Europeans who vilified him, have probably helped him a lot to mobilise ordinary Americans for him. Simple messages reach more people.
About Blair I am not that sure. His style is the opposite of George Bush's. Far too complicated.
Bush made his critics blush. Whether you can bear him or not.
To me Tony always seems to get tripped up by his overexplaining things.
I don't know if either of them is much good for their country, but Bush at least has the knack of making his shortcomings work in his favour.
But no I would not buy a second-hand car from either.
The only politician I would ever have wanted to buy anything from is Winston Churchill, but even in his case, it would not have been much more than a cigar.
And if I had been duped, I would at least have felt honoured to have been tricked by a man with real stature.

Well said, flem -ish. Though not a very good money manager [ among other character quirks ] Churchill was a man who could see trouble on it's way down the block! England has him to thank for holding the show together at a crucial point in history.

I'd buy a used car from him, at least.

[quote
Bush has proved he can make the Americans vote for him.

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Not to get hung up on semantics, but Bush, whether you agree with his policies or question his IQ (true, his grades at Yale were only slighly higher than Kerry's) Bush hardly "makes" people vote for him. Convince, cajole, overstate etc but certainly not "make". If he had gotten 99.8% of the vote like Castro or other dictators of that ilk somehow always do, you could "make" a case for "make" and I'll start tying a few inner tubes together and taking MY chances with the sharks. But, last I looked, he's leaving in 2008 and we'll muddle through with someone better or worse

UH-OH, you've hit a nerve with this question. I don't know about Tony Blair, but BUSH?? I wouldn't buy a BIBLE from that man. Sue, I think you and I have the same opinion of our lying, double-crossing "President." In one term, he managed to overturn every single environmental protection law that virtually set us back 100 years in that extremely important cause. Big Bu$ine$$ is his only concern. I could go on--for days--but suffice it to say that if I could afford to leave this country until 2008, when he and his ilk are gone, I'd start packing tonight. He's an international embarrassment as far as I'm concerned. (And if you DARE state that sentiment these days here in "red vs. blue" America, you are immediately accused of being a "traitor, anti-American" or some other terrible thing, and told to "love it or leave it." Whatever happened to Freedom of Expression, a right guaranteed to every American by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights? People are at each other's THROATS here over him, his creepy administration, his insane declarations of "war"...we weren't this divided even during Vietnam. Personally, I sincerely believe our un-beloved president is the Anti-Christ!

I take it that he didn't get your vote Paula. Blair is Bush's lapdog.

No, Sue, he most certainly did NOT get my vote! Blair is Bush's lapdog, and Bush is Cheney's puppet. I feel like we're all trapped in a Twilight Zone episode...

I'd buy a used car from Tony Blair, I don't mind him overly, but he isn't getting my vote next time the four year swings around...

I'd buy one from Bush. Then run him over with it.