Qu(ot)e?

When it became implausible to portray England standing alone to save the world, Ian Fleming gave [James] Bond a powerful trusty American friend, Felix Leiter of the CIA. Recently, Leiter turned with excellent effect into Halle Berry. Tony Blair needs to keep in mind the priceless complementarities of the relationship with Felix Leiter. His apparent complaisance about the UN's playing a role in restructuring Iraq hints at an attempt to placate Europe for defying its anti-American zeitgeist.

Frank Devine in yesterday's Sunday Age, brilliantly combining cultural criticism with political commentary.