THE ONE WHO BELIEVES JACQUES CHIRAC DEPENDABLE IS THE HEAVYWEIGHT?:

'Cameron's a lightweight' (James Macintyre, 04 December 2008, New Statesman)

What is not publicly known is that there was less agreement when, soon afterwards, the discussion turned substantial in Cameron's Commons office. Obama began by saying that he hoped to work closely with the EU. But, in a crude attempt to demonstrate his Atlanticist credentials, Cameron went on to indulge in what one source has described as an "anti-European diatribe", repeatedly referring to the "anti-Americanism" of EU member states. Cameron apparently told Obama that he would not encounter a more pro-American politician than himself.

If Cameron thought this would impress Obama, he was wrong. It would appear he had failed to study the multilateralist candidate's Berlin speech 48 hours previously. Obama had condemned "voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe's role in our security and our future", and went on: "Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe . . . But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together . . . In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and co-operation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our . . . humanity. That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another."

On meeting Cameron, Obama was, according to diplomatic sources, "distinctly unimpressed", contrary to some reports (excitedly spun by the Conservatives) which suggested that the two men had formed an instant "bond". Instead, I have been told, Obama exclaimed of Cameron after their meeting: "What a lightweight!" He apparently also asked officials about Tory Euroscepticism. Soon, word about the rather awkward encounter between the two self-professed candidates of change made its way quietly round the upper echelons of Whitehall.

A widely read, broad-minded internationalist, Obama has long valued Europe and, asked during the primaries against Hillary Clinton to name the crucial US allies, he instantly placed "the European Union" at the top of the list. Perhaps more importantly, on defining international issues such as the invasion of Iraq (unlike Clinton and certainly unlike Cameron), Obama's position was closer to that of mainstream Europe - which, as led by President Jacques Chirac of France, tended to be more "doveish" than "hawkish".

Dovish? How about "collaborationist"?

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 4, 2008 12:00 PM