I was invited and had breakfast with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday in downtown DC. Several of my friends were at the small intimate gathering as well and we all had the chance to just listen to ”Mr. Prime Minister” talk about world affairs; the global economy; the Middle East; and politics in general.
I will be honest, I was blown away. He was so bright and so spot on in his opinions about the Middle East and our world economy. He is truly a “modern politician”. He gets it. He is a centrist and had a lot of energy and a very positive glow about him.
He was charming, funny and quite candid. And boy was he bespoke! He had on a shirt with three button cuffs and the nicest dress shoes I had ever seen!
It was an honor to be seated next to him and to listen to him hold court. He is of our generation as he was born in 1953. He answered all of my questions. He was unrushed and then he left us all to go to the White House and hang out.
We are so fortunate to live in Washington DC and get to meet the most interesting people in the world. And I don’t mean Mr. Dos Equis either. 
I have often found him to be disarming in his direct approach, his easy presense, and that other something — that some of you(you) share. I, too, got to suck all the juice out of him at an intimate gathering. A cocktail party with a few hundred of his closest friends, or supporters, or someone’s — even so, he was as attentive and genuine as, say, a Bill Clinton . . .
Can’t stop myself from sharing amusement that everyone on this side of the pond has hijacked “spot on” and dragged it into the American lexicon . . . and that, of course, you would notice the shoes. I would.
Tony Blair is one of my favorite political figures. I had a chance to hear him speak while I was in London several years ago. I also did a paper on him in college, so I am very jealous that you were able to sit down and have a face-to-face (of sorts) with him. Definitely a well spoken gentleman, well dressed, and always seems to have an answer to any question. Too bad we can’t have more men and women like that in the US.
I was in DC a few weeks ago playing a Secret Service agent on the film, “The Special Relationship,” as you may remember. The, “Special Relationship,” is between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair. The film is set during Clinton’s presidency. It is an HBO film; so we can look for it in a few months. It was a pleasure to see, “My One and Only,” director Richard Loncraine back so soon (long as we’re name dropping and everything; I think we’re allowed to in DC because people are genuinely interested and it’s not a power play, or to gain favor; my 2 cents ;-j I welcomed him back and congratulated him on, “My One and Only.” Warmly, he assured me, “I think you’ll like the film.” – j