Sep 24 2009
Gordon wants to be Barack’s best friend
It was a huge error to allow the spin doctors and private secretaries to make it known that the PM had been rebuffed in his request for a meeting with the President.We now have a storm in a teacup story, which allows everyone to dust off their thoughts on Lockerbie and Gordon’s electoral chances, two reasons why the President might not choose today to meet the PM.
The PM’s usually faultless spin dcotors should have played up “international statesman” making his own address to UN and going on to lecture the G20. Trying to be Barack’s buddy when the President is busy and probably none too pleased with his UK ally was never going to be a winning ticket.
14 Responses to “Gordon wants to be Barack’s best friend”
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
Did it not occur to them that the PM is a Scotsman, and at present to be seen glad handing a Scot is not a sensible move in the USA? Given the overall situation he would have been better off taking time out with either the Chinese or Indian representatives.
It’s always someone else’s fault, in this case Obama for being dumb enough to snub the heroic Mr Brown.
Absolutely nothing to do with the wonderful, courageous Prime Minister not being worth the time of a meeting….
It’s coming to something when you need to respin the spin!
My opinion is that Barack Obama has spoken to Brown and has sussed out that the man is a deluded, incompetent fool, who is obsessed with his own importance and is not worth talking to. I shudder whenever I see him on the TV, and I am sure most people do when they meet him. Obama has caught on very quickly.
If Gordon Brown has used his hectoring, quasi-autistic tone with BHO in private meetings it’s not surprising the president doesn’t want to meet him. Can GB even do small-talk or turn on the charm? I can’t imagine it. He seems to have one mode: bully. And that’s not going to work on the president of the United States.
“The PM’s usually faultless spin doctors”. You must be joking. Brown’s public relations advisors are one of the least effective parts of his organisation.
Perhaps Barack can’t stand his gurning, facial ticks and boring repetitive monologues any more than we can. Perhaps he is also not too keen on the obvious fawning – it can’t do much for his image in the US to have Brown smarming all over him. And then there’s the blaming of the US for the credit crunch; the tedious economics lectures; the atrocious handling of the Megrahi release and the blatent lying about the UK Government’s involvement.
Perhaps Obama just couldn’t stand the thought of another 15 minutes of Brown when he knows that come next June, he won’t be PM any more.
I do apologize, that was simply my moment of fun. Thank you for being such a good sport
The Americans have a three second attention span (generally)
Gordon Brown will have to learn to be brisker and pithy.
Obama may have an attitude problem , he could have many deep personality issues.
The British will have to grin and bear little upsets like this.
We must remember who we are.
The Gods are just not with Gordy are they – can’t we send him Ireland to go and campaign for a yes vote !!
It might be instructive to examine the way previous Democrat Presidents have treated their allies. Bill Clinton treated John Major for example and John Howard of Australia – both conservative politicans with undisguised contempt.
Obama is merely continuing the normal Democrat tradition of appeasing enemies and belittling allies. It is not entirely stupid for him to do so because the default thinking of small town American electors is firstly for peace and secondly for isolation. Given that setting in the American electorate’s mind Obama’s response is not at all surprising.
The other concern for Obama is that he as a politician with expectations of winning another election he does not wish to be associated with failure(ie Brown). I also believe that Obama’s accusation (in his auto-biography) that the British tortured his Grandfather may have influenced his mind.
Republican presidents on the whole have generally been more appreciative of their allies Thatcher and Reagan being the best example. The exception of course being the Bush junior fiasco with his poodle Tony Blair.
It may seem a little odd from a firm conservative but I think that the Prime Minister who got the US relationship right was Harold Wilson. Lyndon Johnson detested Wilson for his determination to stay out of Vietnam but Wilson though greatly disliked was respected.
Brown of course as a loser and as the man responsible for the Locherbie release is neither liked nor respected
Amidst our PR confusion and the wild goose chase around the kitchen, the Americans must be miffed about the way the British PM has handled one of the burning issues that has pursued him on his trip.
The USA have shown no truck with lawbreaking candidates for government positions, particularly those employing illegal immigrants we recall.
With the appointment of Max Clifford it seems this affair is about to scale new heights and there seems an inevitability that once again the PM has misjudged the situation as well as the strength of public and media feeling. Another ministerial resignation seems well on the cards still.
Having read about the housekeeper’s background, including the use of dubious ‘contact’ websites, we have to wonder just what security clearance is given to staff working for ministers?
In our experience most cleaners and housekeepers tend to be a bit nosey and, like the rest of us, no doubt the Attorney General has business files lying about in her own home.
In addition to her carelessness on the laws she herself helped draft has she not put the nation’s secrets and security at risk and shown a complete lack of judgement?
THESE are surely reasons for resignation even if she and the PM stubbornly misjudge the severity of the other offence.
Our night owl has just read online that the Baroness’ housekeeper is likely to deny showing a passport to her employer.
This might explain another thing that surprised us this week – that’s why and how the whole matter went before ‘judge & jury’ so quickly.
Does the law always work this fast? (Not in our experience!)
Why did the authorities not wait to question the housekeeper before issuing their judgement and fine?
Without pre-judging developments on the basis of 3am reports, we might have the answers to the questions raised by the alacrity of the ‘totally independent’ Border Agency.
Maybe it was hoped that the matter could be put to bed before the lady was found and questioned?
Perhaps the 2 ladies involved disagree on the facts and are singing from entirely different hymn sheets?
Maybe nobody thought that the ubiquitous Max Clifford would come thundering in on his white charger?
Perhaps the Attorney General will – in her own words that seemed at the time to overstate the emotions that accompany a mere congestion charge fine – truly be ‘BITTERLY BITTERLY SORRY’?
Ummmm….
It may have been badly spun, but what a golden opportunity for the satirists. For example:
OBAMA TO MEET BULGARIAN DEPUTY SPORTS MINISTER
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/obama-to-meet-bulgarian-deputy-sports-minister-200909242087/
and not to forget Richard Littlejohn’s column in today’s Mail.
acc no my comment was deleted