BARACK OBAMA joined David Cameron for a joint press conference yesterday.
Watching Mr Obama closely, I realised he does not walk like most of us – he pads, stealthily, like a big cat.
Alongside him, in the shadow of magnificent 19th Century Lancaster House, David Cameron just looked like the cat who got the cream.
And no wonder. Over two days, our Prime Minister appears to have achieved a bond with the world’s most important leader – no small feat for a privileged Old Etonian, greeting a community organiser from gritty Chicago.
The image of a grinning Dave and Barack playing a game of table tennis together – and high-fiving after winning a point – will live on in the memory.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister practically purred when the President – who called him “David” no fewer than nine times – mentioned that the pair had spoken at least “two dozen times” this past year.
In the glorious sunshine, one No 10 aide admitted their man was “crap” in comparison with Mr Obama, when it comes to the political magic of greeting and gelling with ordinary voters.
In truth, at the podiums, the Prime Minister was just as articulate and persuasive as the man beside him. And, yet, I had the impression that it didn’t quite all go to Downing Street’s plan.
First, for all the tough language about Gaddafi, it was hard for the pair to hide the differences in policy towards Libya, where Mr Cameron is far more gung-ho.
While the PM vowed he was “turning up the heat” to get rid of the Libyan dictator, the president spoke of a “slow, steady process”, at which point the former switched to the need for “patience”, as military action continues.
Remember that, just a few weeks ago, Mr Cameron barely hid his frustration at indecision in the White House, as massacres appeared to loom.
Worse, on the economy, the Prime Minister made a tactless lunge for Mr Obama’s approval of his deep public spending cuts, claiming policy was aligned on “both sides” of the Atlantic.
In contrast, Mr Obama agreed no government could leave “mountains of debt”, but said policy should be dumped if it wasn’t working.
As Britain’s economy flatlines, that sounded like music to Labour’s ears.
So, both leaders clearly got on and some of the stardust will no doubt rub off on the Prime Minister.
But it’s not quite George and Tony yet.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here