Gore Vidal On Blair, Bush And Cheney

Did you see the Blair-Bush alliance as a sort of apotheosis of that?
I come to England quite enough to know everything that that strange cry - "Blaaaair" - means to the Brits. I can take it like a Brit, as an honorary one. You know, it's rather suitable. To think of him, the best actor that you've had since Disraeli, over there wearing cowboy boots in the ugliest state of the Union, Texas.

Do you think that Blair let himself down with that alliance?
He let the nation down. There was nothing there to ally with, except foolishness and greed. Now, Obama's great fault is that he has not brought the vice-president of those years, Mr Cheney, to trial. Halliburton and these com­panies - he had money in them and he was making Congress pass laws featuring torture, which is one of the things that some of these other companies do very well. They are the envy of Outer Mongolia or whoever else is imitating them this year.

Full interview with Melvyn Bragg HERE