Questions not laid to rest

By Gordon Corera
BBC correspondent in Washington

If Tony Blair regretted the timing of his appearance before Congress, he showed no sign of it as he give a typically polished performance, displaying his signature belief in his own ability to persuade others and bring differing sides together.

Blair gave a polished performance in front of Congress

The unusual invitation to speak to a Joint Session of Congress came soon after the war ended, when it looked set to be a victory lap of the US capital.

But by the time the big day came round, both Washington and London found themselves mired in a row over misleading intelligence in the build-up to war as well as an increasingly complicated and costly occupation of Iraq.

Nevertheless, Tony Blair chose to use his speech as a reaffirmation of the beliefs that led the US and UK to war with Saddam - a belief in the need to confront terrorism and rogue states and the need to deal with the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

But Mr Blair was also trying to nudge the US towards a continued engagement and commitment to internationalism - a role that he has played since 11 September.

Many Democrats and independents in Congress and the country feel reassured to have Tony Blair on America's side, and the speech reaffirmed the fact that his eloquence and ability to explain is more developed than that of President Bush

In this case, the speech was an attempt to bring Europe and America together under the banner of common values.

"Don't give up on Europe. Work with it," he told the US Congress while also warning of anti-Americanism in Europe.

Tony Blair has built much of his foreign policy around being a bridge between Europe and the US - a job which has become much harder since 11 September and especially during Iraq.

As the two sides have moved apart, Mr Blair has sometimes looked like he was doing a painful diplomatic contortion as he tried to bridge the gap.

His great hope will be that speech will work to narrow the divide.

For President Bush, Tony Blair remains a useful ally.

Many Democrats and independents in Congress and the country feel reassured to have Mr Blair on America's side, and the speech reaffirmed the fact that his eloquence and ability to explain is more developed than that of President Bush.

Iraq flak

However, the two left many questions unanswered on the issue of intelligence and Iraq's weapons of mass destruction - an issue that has plagued both leaders domestically and which they hoped could be settled by developing a common line during this visit.

The White House has been taking heavy fire for backing away from a claim in the President's January State of the Union that Iraq had tried to buy uranium from Niger.

Yet at a press conference after the speech, Mr Blair said: "The British intelligence that we had [on Africa] we believe is genuine. We stand by that intelligence."

The defensiveness of both leaders on this issue - as well as the future of the British detainees held by the US at Guantanamo bay - would seem to indicate that not every trans-Atlantic difference has been resolved.

One Congressman who talked to Mr Blair just after the speech commented that he wished Tony Blair could run for president and was jokingly talking of amending a bill going through Congress to that effect.

As he commented at the start of his speech, Tony Blair ironically received a far more enthusiastic welcome from Congress than he normally does from his own parliament.

But as the UK prime minister leaves Washington, both he and President Bush will know that the questions surrounding the war in Iraq and its aftermath have not yet been put to rest.