Just a Theory, But...

This line from James Wolcott is a nice summary of what I've considered to be one reason for Tony Blair's bizarre decision to place all his eggs in one Bush--el.

Gardiner deploys an English accent to coach the US to do what the Brits are no longer capable of: ruling the unruly across the dusky globe. The tenor of Gardiner's erudite work can be gleaned from the titles of some of his most recent articles, such as 'Kofi Must Go' and 'British, US, Partners in Fighting Terror.'

Maybe there are those in Britannia who still can't get over the fact that--to paraphrase Gore Vidal--after traveling the globe to conquer what they considered to be all sorts of "hideous peoples," the Brits discovered that the worst of all were barely across the Channel, and perhaps one of the few peoples who could possibly claim to be even more white than they were (as if that makes any difference at all). Defeat of the Nazis might not have been the final nail in the British Empire's coffin, but it certainly sealed its fate.

And, what's one to do when your "administrative" skills are no longer needed? Hmmm. Well, the markets have provided one possiblity: consulting.