Commentary: Tony Blair's Secret Weapon: Bill Clinton's Experience

During his election campaign, British Prime Minister Tony Blair often heard himself compared to President Bill Clinton. People called him a Clinton clone, or Clinton Lite. But paying close attention to his U.S. counterpart is proving to be a clever strategy for Blair. After 10 weeks in office, his popularity rating is a record 72%.

The two Anglo-Saxon leaders have some built-in similarities. Both rode to office on a wave of voter ennui after many years of conservative government. Both capitalized on their youth and personal charisma. And both reshaped their parties' platforms with pro-growth, pro-business agendas. But Blair had one big advantage--the chance to study Clinton's failures and successes. That has allowed him to avoid the embarrassing mistakes that dogged Clinton's first term and led to the Republicans' congressional sweep in 1994. It has also let Blair learn valuable lessons from the playbook that has made the U.S. economy the world's strongest.