Blair in intensive talks over Campbell's future

[ze_dscherman]

PM offers full support amid rumours of imminent exit

Alastair Campbell is heading off on holiday this weekend to think about the precise timing of his resignation, after a day in which rumours circulated round Whitehall that he would quit today.

One version of events yesterday was that Mr Campbell drew back from the brink of immediate resignation after intensive talks with the prime minister, only hours after returning from his round the world trip.

Whatever the nature of the protracted talks, they ended with the prime minister telling his embattled communications director that he retains his full confidence in the wake of his bruising confrontation with the BBC and can stay at his post as long as he wants - or resign at a time of his own choosing.

Discreet whispers in the upper reaches of Whitehall suggested Mr Campbell might time his exit to coincide with that of his partner, Fiona Millar, Cherie Blair's press secretary, who will leave the No 10 payroll in September.

More: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,9061,1005563,00.html

[Maple]

1. Oh I'll just bet he is

Because if Campbell leaves now, it makes Blair look even worse.

[NYC]

2. How so?

?

[T_i_B]

3. Campbells Diaries

Campbell has been keeping a diary with he calls his "pension" and which it is widely belived will be published when he leaves government.

Personally I hope he goes, if only because the man is a turd.

[Julien Sorel]

4. It makes it look like he cracked under the pressure, and

evokes the image of a rat abandoning a sinking ship. At the very least, I think it's fair to say the rat part is correct.

[legin]

5. They don't want to fire anyone

either in britain or the u.s. because once one person goes it will open up the floodgates, and it also changes the dynamic of the situation (puts them on the backfoot), so it is going to take an awful lot for the first guy to get fired.

[0007]

6. We now know Blair's real heart

God, 'tis amazing how folks can fool one another. Who would have ever believed it?

I certainly think the Carlyle boys are behind the whole scam.

[T_i_B]

7. I think a deal has been struck

I think we will have to wait for the resignations. :-(

http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=804612003

TONY Blair held crisis talks with Alastair Campbell yesterday when it was agreed that his communications director should not resign until the investigation into Dr David Kelly’s death is complete.

The Prime Minister has ensured that Mr Campbell cannot be made to look as if he is taking the blame for Dr Kelly being identified as the government adviser who shared his doubts about the Iraq dossier with the BBC.

The "no heads will roll" pact came as it emerged that Dr Kelly was indeed one of the key players in drawing up the original dossier on Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction - not a peripheral player, as officials had previously suggested. Mr Blair yesterday spent his first full day at No10 since returning from a curtailed six-day tour of Asia, and held talks with Mr Campbell about his future.

The BBC last night reported that the two agreed any resignations before Lord Hutton’s report into Dr Kelly’s death would stain No 10’s reputation, regardless of the outcome.

(snip)

[DrBB]

8. I.e., they're not politically stupid, whatever else they are.

More's the pity. Used to be, you'd have resignations when things have gone as seriously off the rails as they have in the UK and US recently. That was when leaders still had a sense of shame. In a weird way, this is a lesson they learned from Clinton. An absolute, seamless refusal to act ashamed even in the face of things like the Starr report--which had no justification other than as an attempt to shame Clinton into a resignation--turned out to be a powerful bulwark against even the most savage attacks. I think Clinton learned it from Reagan, and amplified it to his own benefit. And these guys can read the poll numbers from the impeachment period just as well as we can. Thus, no resignations after 9/11, after Rowley's scathing, whistle-blowing report, after Tenet's non-mea-culpa-mea-culpa, after anything. "He took the blame and he enjoys my full support." That's feudalism, folks, stop worrying and learn to love it.