LONDON (Reuters) - Tony Blair (news - web sites) is unlikely to sway George W. Bush on global warming when he leads the G8 nations in 2005 but the British premier could help his own re-election bid by appearing to stand up to Washington, analysts say.
They say Blair could shed a "poodle" image acquired for his staunch support of Bush on Iraq (news - web sites) -- and might even convince Washington to accept the basic science of climate change.
Blair has pledged to put green issues at the top of his agenda for the 12 months starting in January that Britain has the helm of the Group of Eight rich nations club.
But his high-profile commitment to the environment contrasts sharply with the Bush administration, which has refused to sign up to the benchmark Kyoto treaty to combat global warming. "I have always thought that it was a very high risk strategy for Tony Blair to put climate change so high on the G8's agenda," Victor Bulmer-Thomas, director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs think-tank, told Reuters.
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