FALLING OUT OF LOVE WITH THE UNICORN RIDER:

Atlantic stimulus rift grows (Tony Barber in Brussels, Alan Beattie in Washington and George Parker in London, March 10 2009, Financial Times)

The US-European differences are casting a shadow over next month’s summit in London of leaders from the G20 group of advanced and emerging economies, an event to be attended by Barack Obama on his first visit to Europe as US president.

It also emerged that Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, was struggling to organise the summit. Britain’s most senior civil servant claimed it was hard to find anyone to speak to at the US Treasury. Sir Gus O’Donnell, cabinet secretary, blamed the “absolute madness” of the US system where a new administration had to hire new officials from scratch, leaving a decision-making vacuum.

“There is nobody there. You cannot believe how difficult it is,” he told a conference of civil servants.

Even Hillary didn't think that 3am phone call would just go unanswered.

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Posted by Orrin Judd at March 10, 2009 9:35 PM