Amid the pomp and circumstance of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit, the issue of environmental protection briefly re-emerged as a reminder that the United States and the United Kingdom aren't always on the same page.

Mr. Blair is the fourth British PM to address a joint session of Congress. Winston Churchill spoke three times, Clement Atlee addressed Congress in 1945, and Margaret Thatcher gave a speech at the height of the Cold War.

It may seem odd to some that in a speech primarily about the war in Iraq and terrorism, Mr. Blair spoke to the environment. This strategy is a way for Blair to assert that he isn't President Bush's puppet as is often alleged by his critics. Being a member of the Labour Party, he actually differs from the president on most issues outside of foreign policy.