George W Bush’s disinterest in Northern Ireland was not purely because of his focus on the ‘War on Terror’ but preceded the September 11 terrorist attacks, newly declassified British files suggest. The US President came into office at the start of 2001 after a bitterly disputed election contest with Al Gore which involved protected legal wrangling, meaning that the transition period between Bill Clinton leaving office and Bush arriving was shorter than usual. British officials and ministers sought to ascertain the new administration’s key aims regarding UK interests, despatching senior officials to Washington and using the US Embassy there to…