But the good times didn't last. On Thursday, Paris rejected London's proposal for six concrete tests of Saddam's compliance, a rejection that came even more quickly — as Blair's and Bush's spokesmen trilled in unison — than Saddam's. Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin dismissed the idea out of hand: "It's not a matter of agreeing on a few more days for Iraq before resorting to force, but rather to move forward resolutely on the path of peaceful disarmament through inspections, which are a credible alternative to war." In response, Blair made a tactical strike against France, describing the French position as "completely intransigent."
By Friday things were looking up again. Bush announced his Israeli-Palestinian "road map" and Blair spent 10 minutes on the phone with Chirac. Neither man changed his position, but there was symbolic movement when Chirac offered to shorten the four-month period France proposed as necessary for the arms inspectors to complete their work. "We cannot accept an ultimatum or automaticity of a recourse to force," Chirac reportedly told Blair. "Before any decision, the inspectors should come back to report to the Security Council and it is up to the Council to decide." Privately, officials at the Quai d'Orsay regard the British proposals as a trap more than a test. "They amount to a transparent attempt on the part of Blair to save his own skin," says Guillaume Parmentier, an analyst at the French Institute of International Relations. "Certainly no one in the French government wants to spend any time helping Tony Blair."
Maybe not, but by the end of the week, it seemed that some people in the British government did — and that hadn't been clear just a few days before. "Some of his party may give him trouble, but it doesn't really matter," says Robert Worcester, chairman of the mori polling organization. No rival can match Blair's popularity, and his personal approval ratings have actually risen in recent weeks — a sign that Britons respect this stubborn, principled man even if they disagree with him. As Blair flew to a summit in the Azores with Bush and Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar — a summit that looked like a council of war — there was still little appetite in Britain for military action without the U.N.'s blessing. If Blair goes ahead anyway he may encounter more serious rebellions — from the backbench to the streets of London. His week from hell could be followed by others that are even worse.
 TIME.com: Blair's Consolation Prize
TIME magazine: The Bungee Jumper
TIMEeurope.com: Spoiling for a Fight
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