Can you imagine Gordon Brown holding a meeting with Tony Blair in Downing Street, then agreeing to share a the Prime Ministerial podium with his predecessor and then disappearing to another engagement, leaving Blair to hold court for half an hour? No, I don’t think so. And not just because Brown hated Blair’s guts. Even Gordon might have appreciated that this might lead to unflattering comparisons. People might even find themselves thinking, Golly, what ever happened to that guy Tony? He was awfully good wasn’t he?
This, basically, is what happened at the White House this afternoon. For half an hour Bill Clinton seemed to be President. Now it’s a Friday afternoon and a trivial thing of no great importance. But, still, rum you know. And it reminded everyone of this truth: Barack Obama gives great speech but he’s not half the communicator Bubba was – and is.
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