Straw issues Bush weather forecast [View All]

[T_i_B]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1078712,00.html

The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, today waved a red rag at anti-war demonstrators preparing to give George Bush a hostile reception in London in a fortnight by suggesting their zeal could be dampened by the weather. "We do not know exactly how many will come. Much will depend at this time of year on the weather," said Mr Straw, in an interview with the Guardian.

His weather remark will turn out to be rash if, as the organisers claim, 100,000 demonstrators converge on London from all over Europe. The comment could even backfire by hardening the determination of some of the protesters to attend.

Mr Straw used the interview to pave the way for Mr Bush's visit, which is scheduled for November 19-21, the first state visit by a US president since Woodrow Wilson in 1919.

In another comment that could come back to haunt him, Mr Straw, who was a militant student leader before becoming an MP, promised that Mr Bush will not be shielded from the demonstrators. "Whether he sees them or not, he certainly should not be kept away from them."