The Hindu : International : Eyebrows raised over Euan Blair's U.S. Republican internship

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 27, 2005

International

International

Eyebrows raised over Euan Blair's U.S. Republican internship

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: The controversially cosy political links between Downing Street and the Bush White House raised more eyebrows on Sunday after it emerged that Prime Minister Tony Blair's son, Euan, is to work as an intern on a key Republican majority committee in the House of Representatives — a much coveted assignment not easy to get without the right political connections.

The Sunday Telegraph, which broke the story, quoted committee officials as saying that the decision to offer the prestigious assignment to the British Prime Minister's son was taken "at a senior level — not by staff ordinarily responsible for sifting internship applications''.

The chairman of the House Rules Committee, David Dreier, who will "mentor'' Mr. Euan during his three-month stint starting next January, is said to be close to the Republican Party leadership.

Democrats in Washington were reported to be surprised that the son of a Labour Prime Minister's son would be working with Republicans.

Mr. Euan (21), who is to graduate in ancient history from Bristol University soon, was on holiday in America when he landed the job for which over 100,000 hopefuls apply each year, and it is extremely rare for a foreigner to get it.

"Connections'' are said to play an important role and, given the Blairs' close relations with the U.S. President George W. Bush, questions are being asked whether "strings'' were pulled.

"No. 10 sources made clear that there was no suggestion that Euan's application had been fast-tracked,'' The Sunday Telegraph said but added that British diplomats in Washington "played a part in the process''.

Meanwhile, it was stated that Mr. Euan was also expected to seek an internship with a Democratic Congressman in order to gain experience on both sides of the American political divide.

The last "famous'' intern was Monica Lewinsky whose "affair'' with the then President Bill Clinton nearly brought down his presidency.

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