Blair which?

"Tony is a very talented man, for whom I 've got a great deal of respect," Dubya told the Sun today. "I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that." Well don't ask me. An underdog, perhaps, but not a poodle.

And the phrase is flawed on yet another level. I have known several poodles, all of whom have assured me that the poodle is certainly not an obedient lap dog. No, the poodle is a strong, athletic dog with a very large mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, a quick mind and a rather impressive turn of pace. When he wants to be, the poodle can be a disobedient, riotous brute. Poodles offer stout companionship and scrubbed independence.

They have been the dog of choice for some of history's greats, among them John Steinbeck and Winston Curchill. The poodle goes with great men as it has the independence of spirit to be worthy of them.

It is most certainly not a cowering wimp. In short, to call Mr Blair "Bush's poodle" is an insult to poodles.