There is no backslapping, chummy chummy shoulder massage, or man-hugs with Obama. He is reserved, but warm. A style that is similar to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is never effusive, however warm his ties with world leaders. Bush and Singh had a warm chemistry, but all the demonstrativeness of warmth came from Bush, not Singh Obama's interactions bordered on the awkward. They both began with their customary reserved ness but then, their attempt to be humorous at the press conference fell flat. The geekiness that typifies Obama's style left no room for chumminess with Brown though they were on a first name basis from the word goes.

 

Obama does not share the same degree of warmth towards Britain as the two Bushes, Clinton or even Reagan. The set of DVDs that Obama gifted Brown during the latter's visit to the White House last month did not go down well here in the local press. But he seems to have put those vibes to rest and even tried to make amends by gifting an ipod to the Queen. Ta 6GB silver Mini version the ipod, comes loaded with pictures of the Queen's last visit to the US. Apparently the Queen already owns a 6GB silver mini version. Fortunately Obama did not wink at the Queen like Bush did nor did he touch the small of her back Australian PM John Howard had in 2007.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave the Queen a limp handshake, which is the proper way. Of course, that he does that with other non-royalty VIP's is another matter!

 

Singh's mild manner and quiet confidence is much appreciated in the international community. His speech at Gordon Brown's banquet yesterday was quite a rap on the knuckles for the rich nations of the world. He basically told them in no uncertain terms...open your markets, set your house in order, tell your banks not to be protectionist, don't bully international lending bodies to give your guys the money...you cant ignore us anymore, and if you do you won't get out of this quagmire.... you dragged us into this mess and you gotta get us out.

 

But he isn't saying it the Sarkozy (French President) way, which is like a sulking schoolboy almost seeming like Navin Patnaik. He isn't doing it the Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) way either, which is like Jayalalitha on the Cauvery issue. Merkel is so obsessed with nationalist parameters she refuses to see the larger issue...somewhat like the lady from Poes Garden whose my people, my river, shackles her from seeing the whole picture. Autocratic ways and narcissistic personalities crush consensus building in international meets such as this. And this is a grouping of rich nations. Yet the leaders seem to be putting aside their differences simply because there is just so much at stake here. Their economies are going down the tube and their people are demanding action.