A Lesson In Priorities For G.B.

We know about the arrival of His Holiness in not Boston Washington yesterday, but did you know that an actual head of state as opposed to a symbolic one arrived in Washington also from overseas today…

(British Prime Minister Gordon) Brown, who is on his second trip to the United States since replacing Tony Blair last June, held private 45-minute sessions with each of the candidates at the British Embassy in Washington.

Among the topics discussed with Obama, “Calamity” Hil and John W. McBush included the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (of course), global warming and (with Obama in particular) “strengthening the Trans-Atlantic alliance.”

And as for meeting with Dubya…

Following his meeting with the candidates, Brown was scheduled to meet with President Bush to talk about the global economy.

That’s it? No state dinner? No photo-op of taking Brown to see the Washington Nationals baseball team or something (are they even in town now)? Nothing to indicate Dubya’s “Brit love” from our lapdog media?

Color me shocked (and by the way, I went to the White House web site and saw only a brief mention of Brown’s visit also).

Could this be why (as noted here)…

Brown announced last October (2007) that Britain would cut the number of soldiers based on the outskirts of the southern city of Basra to 2,500 from spring this year, and a senior government official said then that all could be home before 2009.

Just a wild guess, I know…

Update 1 4/18/08: I'm glad to be wrong here; credit where it's due to His Holiness.

Update 2 4/18/08: Back to Brown and Dubya, I wanted to note this excerpt from here...

“Listen, our special relationship has been forged in common values and history, and we’re making history together,” (Dubya) said, adding: “Our relationship is very special and it’s — I’m confident future presidents will keep it that way. There’s just such a uniqueness in the relationship. That’s not to say you can’t have other friends, and we do. But this is a unique relationship, truly is.”

Apparently not satisfied with his own answer, Mr. Bush finished up: “Look, if there wasn’t a personal relationship, I wouldn’t be inviting the man to a nice hamburger. Well done, I might add.”

Given their differences on Iraq, I was going to say to Brown, "don't have a cow, man," but it sounds like he already did (ba-dump!).