Pat Dollard

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First he tossed Winston Churchill into the trash can. Now this:

Daily Mail:

Mr President and the PM, the best of acquaintances: The historic special relationship between America and Britain is under strain

Barack Obama lavished praise on the ‘special relationship’ between Britain and America last night – but only after giving Gordon Brown a distinctly muted reception.

The Prime Minister’s first official meeting with the new President fell short of the lavish welcomes laid on in recent years.

After intense negotiations with the new administration, Mr Brown got some warm words on the historic links between the U.S. and UK.

But there was no family get-together, nor did the President offer Mr Brown and his wife Sarah a star-studded White House dinner.

And instead of the traditional joint press conference, the Prime Minister was instead given an impromptu media briefing in the Oval Office.

Within minutes of landing in a snowbound Washington on Monday night, Mr Brown’s aides had been made aware that their high expectations for the trip were in danger of exceeding the low-key welcome the Obama administration was prepared to offer.

Suggestions that the new President’s crowded diary made it impossible to give more time to Mr Brown rang hollow after it emerged that his other engagements included a routine speech to the Department for Interior and a meeting with the Boy Scouts of America.

British officials tried to counter the rumours by pointing out that Mr Brown was the first European leader to be invited to Washington.

To underscore the change from the informality of the Bush years, Mr Obama pointedly referred to Mr Brown throughout as ‘Prime Minister’, with just one reference to him as ‘Gordon’ at the end of the press talks.

Over Mr Brown’s shoulder was another reminder of the change in Britain’s influence in the Oval Office.

A bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln, the 19th century president Mr Obama considers his political hero, now sits where a bust of Winston Churchill previously held pride of place.

As one of his first gestures, the President had the Churchill sculpture – loaned to George Bush by Tony Blair – given back to Britain.

However, Mr Obama struck a conciliatory tone at the joint media briefing, saying: ‘Great Britain is one of our closest and strongest allies and there’s a link and a bond there that will not break.

‘The special relationship between the U.S. and Great Britain is one that is not just important to me – it’s important to the American people.
‘Rest assured the relationship is not only special and strong but will only get stronger as time goes on.’

In all the two leaders spent a bit more than two hours together in private talks and a ‘working lunch’ with senior aides. Mrs Brown, who travelled to Washington yesterday, was due to spend an hour separately with Mrs Obama.

Asked about his rapport with Mr Brown, the President said they had ‘spectacular wives and wonderful children in common’.

Both sides said they were keen to highlight the close ‘businesslike’ links between the two Governments. They also insisted they were on course to agree a plan for a global economic stimulus package to be announced at the G20 summit in London next month.

Mr Brown hopes to leave Washington today with his reputation boosted by his proximity to Mr Obama and the reaction to his landmark speech to Congress.
He will compare the fight against an economic downturn to the struggles against fascism and terrorism.

He has also repeated his call for a ‘global new deal’ which would see the world’s biggest economies agree on a new regulatory system for banks.

They would also put together fiscal stimulus packages to boost growth and take action to deal with ‘shadow banks’ and regulatory and tax havens.

PS: Remember them?

Back in the day: Tony Blair always had lavish welcomes from George Bush

The formal tone of yesterday’s meeting was a marked contrast to the jovial rapport enjoyed by George Bush and Tony Blair.

The pair were often seen joking together. And during an address to Congress after 9/11, Mr Bush turned to Mr Blair and said: ‘Thanks for coming, friend.’

The Blairs also received a lavish welcome-from Bill Clinton, who ordered a 19-gun salute to mark their arrival in 1998.

At a party in their honour, they were treated to performances from Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

Gallingly for Gordon Brown, Mr Blair also beat him to meeting Barack Obama by attending a prayer breakfast last month.

The joint press conference between the U.S. president and visiting world leaders is often held in the Rose Garden – as during this conference with Mr Obama and Mr Brown’s predecessors, George Bush, and Tony Blair, in 2007