Tony Blair gets by with a little help from Cherie

Tony Blair gets by with a little help from Cherie

Reuters, Beijing

British Prime Minister Tony Blair had just endured a tough
grilling from Chinese university students over the case for the
war in Iraq when the request from one young student came in --
sing a song by the Beatles.

He got by with a little help from his wife.

The plea for some light entertainment came after a 45-minute
question and answer session at Tsinghua University, and Blair,
who was lead singer in a rock band called Ugly Rumours during his
college days, wasted little time in deflecting it.

Cherie Blair -- with some prodding -- sang a verse from the
Fab Four classic about staying faithful in old age, When I'm 64,
as students surrounded the couple and clapped to the beat.

"I thought the atmosphere should be a little more warm," said
a smiling Peng Linlin, 21, who popped the request as Blair was
shaking hands before heading to the door. "I'm proud of it."

Before the impromptu recital, students peppered Blair with
questions ranging from the Iraq war to his views on the European
Union (EU) and the suicide of David Kelly, a weapons expert at
the center of a row over Britain's reasons for waging war with
Iraq.

Students were generally positive about the debate afterwards,
describing Blair as eloquent and persuasive, although some felt
he dodged questions.

Lu Yanan, 21, was not pleased with the response to her query.
The journalism school student asked how Blair felt when he first
heard of Kelly's death last week and how the prime minister
planned to weather the political crisis.

"He expressed his sorrow, but I don't think he answered me
directly and clearly," she said later. "He answered it like a
disguise, I think."