Everyone's a winner?
So he wants time. That is the central message of the Canada visit. Mr Obama will not be rushed into confrontation of even the mildest kind.
He leapt down the steps of Air Force One like a game-show host - and comported himself during his six hours north of the border as if the whole shebang could end with everyone taking home all the prizes.
Canada intends to pull its troops out of Afghanistan. Fine, let's talk about something else: how wonderful they have been, or how nice it would be if the fighting could be augmented by diplomacy and aid.
Canada objects to the president's desire to re-negotiate the NAFTA deal. Fine, let's talk about how important free trade is while still (apparently) toying with the idea of in the future.
Perhaps this relationship-building is a necessary part of leading the US in the post-Bush world, but I do wonder whether foreign leaders are going to get a real sense of what Obama stands for. They may be tempted to take liberties. Will he take off his shoe and bang the table at the NATO summit in France in April?
After all you don't need to be John Bolton or to accept that there will be limits to the president's room for compromise and amiable discourse in the future. Even as he arrives back in Washington, the .
Having said that, the waitress was wearing an Obama T-shirt when I had my fish and chips in Ottawa tonight. His approval ratings here are at 80%. Canadian television treated him with the respect they would normally reserve for the Pope. This can be bottled and used. It is the epitome of soft power.
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