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When British prime minister Tony Blair steps down next month, his successor is likely to be the man who helped him change the future of the Labour Party over a decade ago, current chancellor of the exchequer, Gordon Brown.

The change has produced a ripple of anxiety that is gripping the Bush administration. Gordon Brown is seem by most insiders as being a man of ambition, intelligence, and sporting a superior work ethic. He is also know to be a man who is difficult to work with. You can bet that if members of his own Labour Party find him difficult to get along with, he is going to give the members of the Bush administration fits.

This has already started with rumors that Brown’s first 100 days in office will be in favor of sharp British troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan. These rumors have been denied by both Brown and Blair representatives, calling them “baseless”. Baseless though these positions may be, it is known that Blair and Brown have not seen eye to eye on the issue of Iraq, among other things.

 The Bush worry is that Brown will not be as strong an ally as Tony Blair was. The two leaders worked together in the War on Terror much the same way as Roosevelt and Churchill handled the second World War. Other government officals have echoed this claim. Congressman Mark Kirk said, “The American view is that he’s a much weaker political leader than Blair. There’s the fear in Washington that he won’t be as strong an ally.”

A source in Brown’s inner circle countered, “These fears are unfounded. Gordon is a committed Atlanticist who wants to strengthen and deepen our ties with America around our shared values…”

What is interesting is that many in Washington have the notion that Brown would not be as strong politically because he does not share Blair’s same steadfast convictions regarding the campaigns in the Middle East. While this not be seen as politically stable to American government officials, it would surely help his chances of surviving in Britain.

I think Bush and Brown will make a solid attempt to keep relations cordial with eachother, as they should, but it should not be seen as a surprise if Brown does not go along with many of Bush’s policies, as he likely will not.

Brown, for his part, has his own battles to fight domestically. Economically he must proove that his policies can bring long term stability to many disenfranchised Brits. Adminastratively, he is criticised for many of the same things Bush has taken heat for. According to The Economist,

“The main charge against Mr. Brown is that he consults only a tiny group of likeminded people who depend on him for position and patronage. Although they are capable and loyal, they rarely challenge each others’ views or his. Lord Turnbull recently argued that Mr. Brown is suspicious, reluctant to delegate, overcontrolling and contemptuous of competing ideas, especially those of cabinet ministers who he has decided owe their loyalty to Mr. Blair.”

Such is a style of government that Bush has been derided for, especially in Europe, and Brown knows if he wants to have a legacy greater than that of Mr. Blair’s he will have to proove to his countrymen that he is neither Tony Blair, nor George Bush.

Meanwhile, American diplomats are hunkering down and preparing for a struggle.

(photo: APF/Pool file photo)