Britain's next prime minister.

President Bush hung out with his best political partner in the world the other night, hosting departing British Prime Minister Tony Blair for a rare White House sleepover and a farewell chat out on the Truman Balcony.
It was hard to imagine such a scene at the start of Bush's presidency, hard to foresee that two men of such vastly different politics, background and bearing would become the other's indispensable supporter.
It may be harder still to imagine that Bush will find the same got-your-back kinship with Britain's next prime minister.
The next guy is Gordon Brown, Britain's Treasury secretary and Blair's longtime political rival.
Although assuming leadership of the same Labour Party that has sustained Blair for a decade as prime minister, Brown is eager to put political distance between himself and Blair. One easy way to do that would be to also put distance between Britain and the United States, especially on the politically toxic issue of the British military commitment in Iraq.
Britain under Blair has been Bush's steadiest ally in Iraq, sending more troops and keeping them there in larger numbers than any other nation. That earned Blair the nickname "Bush's poodle" at home, where enthusiasm for the war has gone from lukewarm to stone cold. There is a strong perception in Britain that Blair got little in return for his fealty.