How many "B" will fall?

In the weeks following September 11th, 2001 I had to make a decision whether to travel and with the help of a courageous speech by President Bush decided that terrorism was worth standing up to by living life as close to usual as possible. That decision put my wife and myself weeks later walking down a street in Rome which we had passed only hours earlier, but now barricades were up. It was the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. had just struck Afghanistan.

Being in another country at a time that the U. S. was beginning a war was a disconcerting experience yet still an attempt was made to enjoy the trip and also afforded the access to European journalism. With this introduction, one thing I recall reading gave me the impression that Tony Blair's future seemed to be bright or at least believeable as it focused on leadership of the European Union. Now 5 years later, Blair’s fortunes not to mention Berlusconi's have dimmed.