Bush says will miss Blair, ready to work with Brown

By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Thursday he will miss British Prime Minister Tony Blair and is ready to work with his presumed successor, Gordon Brown, confident that he "understands the consequences of failure" in Iraq.

Bush hailed Blair, his staunchest ally in the Iraq war, as a "political figure who is capable of thinking over the horizon," after the British leader said on Thursday he would step down in June.

"I have found him to be a man who's kept his word, which sometimes is rare in the political circles I run in," Bush said after a meeting with U.S. commanders for an update on the war, which has severely damaged both leaders' standing at home and abroad.

"When Tony Blair tells you something, as we say in Texas, you can take it to the bank," Bush added.

Bush left little doubt that he expected Brown, Britain's finance minister, to succeed Blair after a decade in power. Brown is the clear favorite to win a Labour Party leadership contest and take over as prime minister.

"I look forward to working with the -- Gordon Brown, who I presume is going to be the -- maybe I shouldn't say. I shouldn't predict who's going to be in, but the punditry suggests it'll be him," Bush said.

Bush said he had met Brown "and I found him to be an easy-to-talk-to, good thinker."

Asked how he thought Brown would handle Britain's involvement in the Iraq war, Bush said: "I believe Gordon Brown understands the consequences of failure." Bush insists a quick withdrawal from Iraq would bring chaos there and increase the threat to Washington and its allies.

The White House was cautious about discussing any possible changes in Britain's Iraq policy following Blair's departure.

Blair's popularity has suffered since he sent British forces to join the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Bush and Blair developed a remarkably close relationship during Bush's six years in office, especially in the war on Islamic militancy that followed the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Blair stood out among many European leaders with his support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, committing the largest number of troops among Washington's allies.

"I'll miss Tony Blair," Bush said.

At a briefing earlier with reporters, White House spokesman Tony Snow would not be drawn into talking about what changes might be made to Britain's Iraq policy if, as expected, Brown took over as prime minister.

"You'll have to ask the Brits," Snow said.