U.K.: Bush on the Iraq War

With Christin's discussion of framing and proximity below in mind, I was surprised to read an article in The Guardian today on President Bush's comments on the anniversary of the start of the Iraq War that made no reference whatsoever to the U.K. The article was reported from Washington and after the first two paragraphs relies heavily on quotes from the President. Interestingly, the lead paragraph reveals a frame that subtly takes the stance opposite that of the President:

"President George Bush showed no sign of regret today when he marked the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by declaring that the costs in terms of lives and upheaval had been worth it and that retreat would threaten both security and the world economy."

The denial of "regret" in the first sentence suggests that there is something to be regretted about the war. However, the reporter does not explicitly mention the conflicting views about the war that persist today until the very end of the article. This is the only real analysis in the article, though, as the rest of it is quote-heavy and America-centric. There are no references to British involvement in the war as American allies, nor any mentions of how the British feel about the war. This seems, in itself, to be a subtle way of distancing the U.K. from the war and former P.M. Tony Blair's allegiance with Bush. However, the detailed coverage of the event itself, which wraps up by pointing forward towards the Democratic presidential candidates' stance on the war, shows a very close alliance indeed between British and American media coverage.