The uneasy grin on Tony Blair's face while George Bush fielded questions from British reporters at the White House press conference on June 7th said a lot. Having coaxed the president towards striking a deal at the Gleneagles G8 summit next month on a plan to give debt relief for Africa's poorest countries, the last thing he needed was the British press corps hectoring Mr Bush about America's supposed failings as an aid donor or as a delinquent hold-out against climate change. No great harm was done. With Mr Blair's encouragement, Mr Bush put up a spirited defence of his administration's record in tripling the resources it gives to the fight against AIDS in Africa and the doubling of America's overseas aid budget since he came to office.
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