So Tony Blair is now, officially, no longer Britain's prime minister, having tendered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II earlier today. He's off, presumably, to become the Quartet's Mideast peace negotiator, while Gordon Brown has been approved by the Queen as his replacement. For President Bush's take on his great ally's departure, we refer you to low in the AP news item:

"Tony's had a great run and history will judge him kindly," Bush told Britain's The Sun tabloid in remarks published Wednesday. "I've heard he's been called Bush's poodle. He's bigger than that."

See, that's real friendship. Bush thinks of Blair — excuse us: Tony — as something much bigger than a poodle. A golden retriever, perhaps. Maybe even his St. Bernard.

Gordon Brown to Take Over From Blair in Britain [AP via NYT]