It feels all wrong. A British election campaign is on and Tony Blair is battling for a third election win. Yet on the eve of the launch of the Labour manifesto, Peter Mandelson-for many years Mr Blair's most trusted adviser-was stuck in Strasbourg, attending routine meetings at the European Parliament. It gets worse. Although Mr Mandelson's new job as the European Union's trade commissioner has taken him out of British politics, it also offers the compensating advantage of a chance to rebuild his battered reputation. After two forced resignations from the British cabinet, a stint in Brussels may have seemed a good idea. But only six months into his new job, Mr Mandelson is in danger of having a new and damaging placard hung around his neck: "the man who wrecked transatlantic trade relations".
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