Poodle trubble

By BETH GARDINER, Associated Press Writer Tue Apr 4, 4:06 PM ET

LONDON - The whispers have grown into an open question in the corridors of British power: When will Prime Minister
Tony Blair step down?


Wounded by a furor over secret loans and feeling the heat from a resurgent Conservative Party, Blair has come under increased pressure within his own party to make way for his likely successor, Treasury chief Gordon Brown. Blair has also been dogged by his support for the war in
Iraq, which was deeply unpopular in Britain.

A poll published Tuesday found that 47 percent of British voters think Blair should quit by the end of the year, including 34 percent who say he should do so now. Fifty-seven percent agreed with the statement that Blair had "run out of steam" and was unlikely to achieve anything else as prime minister, according to the survey by the Populus polling firm, published in The Times.