From the horse's mouth: UK-US relations and the build-up to war

For those who are not yet thoroughly bored with the ongoing controversy surrounding the steps that led to war in Iraq, the Guardian has begun to serialise a new book from Sir Christopher Meyer, the former UK ambassador in Washington, dealing with his experiences as the top diplomat during the period in question. There is perhaps not much in the extracts that will astound or even particularly surprise those who followed the process, but they are nonetheless very much worth a look, particularly in terms of providing an inside view of some of the personalities involved, few of which, and Blair in particular, come out smelling even vaguely of roses.

Apparently, Meyer was told by the Tony Blair's Chief of Staff that his primary mission as UK ambassador to the US was to "get up the arse of the US and stay there". His erstwhile employer, who is not having an easy time of things at all domestically, can't be overly happy at his very public failure to carry out the second part of that instruction quite as well as he managed the first...