Jon-Christopher Bua, Sky News political analyst
Unless you are the three Presidential candidates showing off your meagre knowledge of the world financial crisis, or our "Lame Duck President", with a need to stir up some semblance of a legacy, not many of my other dear American compatriots have a clue as to who exactly British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is.
Being The Yank among my Sky News colleagues here in Washington, I have been asked several times to give the American perspective on Mr Brown's visit and exactly what it means to all of us here.
Here we go: "Brown, Blair, what's the difference?"
Never mind that most Americans are unable to pronounce the title Chancellor of the Exchequer, they have no clue what the Chancellor of the Exchequer does.
Others who are a little more engaged say.. "I liked Tony Blair before he became Bush's man and lied about the 45 minute attack from Sadam's WMD."
Others muse..."I thought Blair and Clinton were a good team, what happened?"
Americans do know and love Winston Churchill but can't understand why you Brits voted him out after he won the war. They say: "We would never do that, you see we elected Ike."
Some still remember Harold Macmillan. Maybe because of the Profumo scandal with all of those intriguing photos of Miss Keeler and Miss Rice-Davies on the front pages of our tabloids …so titillating for the repressed, pre-Summer of Love baby-boomers.
At any rate Mr Brown's visit comes at a good time for him and for us.
Despite the exuberant bedlam and tumultuous traffic snarls produced by the visit of His Holiness Benedict XVI - who, by the way, is staying in the Papal Residence just across Massachusetts Avenue from the British Embassy - Mr Brown's timing is not as off as one may think.
After all, with elections looming back home, it makes perfect political sense to be seen as a "Man of the Future" as well as a "Man with a Future".
And how better to project the image of a significant world player who understands all aspects of the credit crunch, globalisation and the need for fiscal interdependence than to mix it up with Wall Street Hot Shots, an over-extended Federal Reserve Chairman and the next President of the United States.
After Prime Minister Brown's Rose Garden "campaign" speech where he extolled the accomplishments and strength of the British Economy, don't be surprised if there is a dramatic up-tick in applications from "Yanks" who wish to turn into "British Subjects" once again, to skip our economic woes.
It is a "win-win" for our guys here as well.
Our Democratic candidates get to take a break from lambasting each other over crucial issues like dodging bullets in Bosnia and wearing American flag pins in places like Allentown, Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Our presumptive Republican candidate, John McCain, can pretend to understand and nod as the former British Money Man uses phrases like "regulating securitised instruments" and "redefining global accounting standards".
So, to mangle another one of my favorite Beatles lyrics, "For the benefit of Mr Brown there was a show today…"
Do hope a splendid time was had by all.
THE BEST MAN WON???????
Posted by: BEN ALEXANDRIA 14 Jun 2008 18:37:15
If Brown and Blair were team leaders in the Olympics for a relay race this is how it would be.
One is an extroverted team leader, the other an introverted team player:
Blair would run the whole race, leaving his team-mates behind - Control freak/ micro-management style.
Brown would run to the next bloke/woman, and allow them to run and keep pace. Control freak/ giving slight empowerment to his team.
Posted by: Ayse 20 Apr 2008 02:24:06
It's time we review our parliamentary voting system. John Major was a lame duck before he called an election. He wasn't much better after he was elected. Brown is a lame duck and is not likely to win an election, so he won't call one early. The UK has to hang on until 2010 before 'Lame Labour' can be challenged. The way we elect our executive is out of date and does not serve the country well.
Posted by: richard Tremayne 19 Apr 2008 22:33:42
I gather he didn't take America by storm then!
Most British people also do not understand Mr Brown's jargon, he is a very complicated person, not very human it appears.
Saw some of his speech in Boston, but I got so bored I switched him off, he leaves me stone cold, hope the bar was open after the speech,
I think most people probably needed the "hard stuff" afterwards.
Posted by: Elizabeth Davies Cape Town 19 Apr 2008 06:34:49
A lot of the UK electorate are still saying "Who is Brown?"
Whatever Gordon may do on the world stage for photo opportunities, it will never change how he still looks and sounds so bad, a real PR disaster.
This current US holiday for PM Brown will do nothing to impress or change the way UK voters now perceive him.
Posted by: John B Sheffield 18 Apr 2008 11:16:14