Desperate Politicians
Ed Miliband is 'peeing his pants' for a meeting with the American President, Barack Obama, apparently and if this report from The Times is correct the Labour leader is to be granted a 'brush-by' next week which means that the President will pop into a pre-arranged discussion between Team Miliband and White House officials.
Better than nothing, I suppose, but it does all sound a bit tacky and desperate.
Miliband to boost his image as Obama grants him a brush-by
Ed Miliband with Barack Obama in London in 2011
Stefan Rousseau/Getty
By David Taylor - The Times
It is known as a brush-by, far from the trappings reserved for an official visit and below the level of an Oval Office meeting reserved for national leaders.
When Ed Miliband goes to Washington DC next week, however, he will at least get a brief meeting with President Obama as he tries to boost his image in time for the general election next year.
The Labour leader, who has enlisted the help of Mr Obama’s former aide David Axelrod for his election campaign, is said to have been pushing hard for the White House meeting in the hope that it will give him the look of a prime-minister-in-waiting.
Labour has been extremely secretive about details of the trip, but three sources have confirmed that Mr Miliband will meet the President’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, in her White House office on Monday. He will then get what is known in White House jargon as a “brush by”, or a drop-in meeting with Mr Obama.
One former White House adviser said: “It is always sensitive to meet a foreign opposition leader. Decorum dictates that the president is not wanting to be seen tipping the scales.”
Some presidents have given British opposition leaders the benefit of an Oval Office meeting and official photograph. Tony Blair got a 20-minute morning meeting with Bill Clinton in 1996, a year before the general election.
As Conservative opposition leader, David Cameron got 30 minutes with George W Bush in 2008, but that, too, was only a “brush by”. Mr Cameron then went across the road to a hotel for a solo press conference where he declared the meeting “very positive”.
Mr Obama has met Mr Miliband before, spending 40 minutes with him at Buckingham Palace in 2011, but it is known that the Labour leader’s position on the Syria vote last summer caused alarm in Washington.
It led to a defeat in the House of Commons for the government, which caused President Obama to make a U-turn on seeking permission from Congress for airstrikes.
Mr Miliband will hope for a picture with the president, but may not get one. Previously secret documents from the Ronald Reagan era show that White House meetings with British opposition leaders have been fraught with diplomatic issues. President Reagan did not want to meet Neil Kinnock in 1984 because Labour had “increasingly taken positions inimical to our interests”, documents show.
The meeting went ahead only after the White House national security adviser checked with Britain to see whether Margaret Thatcher thought Mr Reagan should see her opponent. Mr Kinnock had 25 minutes with Mr Reagan, but documents reveal they spent most of that time arguing about Labour’s nuclear disarmament plan.
Mr Miliband is starting his day in Washington with a round-table at the Centre for American Progress. Matt Browne, senior fellow at the liberal think-tank, said that the session would be for up to 25 senior Washington people, including senators, governors and house representatives, who “want a chance to get to know Ed better”.
At the White House, Mr Obama’s team are understood to be interested to hear Mr Miliband’s views on Europe.
A source with knowledge of Mr Miliband’s visit said: “Should there be a brush-by, it is more than Mr Obama usually does with visiting opposition leaders, and it is exactly what Mr Cameron got with President Bush.”
How important are you? A guide to presidential meetings
State visit
Several days of festivities, including banquet at the White House with A-list guests. The Queen had her last state visit in 2007. British prime ministers, who are not heads of state, do not get the official state visit
Official visit
A visiting world leader gets the bilateral Oval Office meeting, complete with photocall, a joint press conference in the Rose Garden or East Room and a private lunch with the president. Angela Merkel had this level of visit in May, David Cameron got a more rushed version
Private bilateral
World leader meets president in the Oval Office, but has no joint press conference. Gordon Brown was apparently snubbed in 2009 when he got this meeting, but journalists’ questions in the Oval Office were permitted
Private meeting
A visiting leader of the opposition can meet the president and be photographed in the Oval Office. Tony Blair got 20 minutes with Bill Clinton in April 1996
Drop-in or brush-by
Visitor gets a meeting in the White House with senior advisers and the president drops in. David Cameron managed 30 minutes with George W Bush in 2007, but no picture
By David Taylor - The Times
It is known as a brush-by, far from the trappings reserved for an official visit and below the level of an Oval Office meeting reserved for national leaders.
When Ed Miliband goes to Washington DC next week, however, he will at least get a brief meeting with President Obama as he tries to boost his image in time for the general election next year.
The Labour leader, who has enlisted the help of Mr Obama’s former aide David Axelrod for his election campaign, is said to have been pushing hard for the White House meeting in the hope that it will give him the look of a prime-minister-in-waiting.
Labour has been extremely secretive about details of the trip, but three sources have confirmed that Mr Miliband will meet the President’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, in her White House office on Monday. He will then get what is known in White House jargon as a “brush by”, or a drop-in meeting with Mr Obama.
One former White House adviser said: “It is always sensitive to meet a foreign opposition leader. Decorum dictates that the president is not wanting to be seen tipping the scales.”
Some presidents have given British opposition leaders the benefit of an Oval Office meeting and official photograph. Tony Blair got a 20-minute morning meeting with Bill Clinton in 1996, a year before the general election.
As Conservative opposition leader, David Cameron got 30 minutes with George W Bush in 2008, but that, too, was only a “brush by”. Mr Cameron then went across the road to a hotel for a solo press conference where he declared the meeting “very positive”.
Mr Obama has met Mr Miliband before, spending 40 minutes with him at Buckingham Palace in 2011, but it is known that the Labour leader’s position on the Syria vote last summer caused alarm in Washington.
It led to a defeat in the House of Commons for the government, which caused President Obama to make a U-turn on seeking permission from Congress for airstrikes.
Mr Miliband will hope for a picture with the president, but may not get one. Previously secret documents from the Ronald Reagan era show that White House meetings with British opposition leaders have been fraught with diplomatic issues. President Reagan did not want to meet Neil Kinnock in 1984 because Labour had “increasingly taken positions inimical to our interests”, documents show.
The meeting went ahead only after the White House national security adviser checked with Britain to see whether Margaret Thatcher thought Mr Reagan should see her opponent. Mr Kinnock had 25 minutes with Mr Reagan, but documents reveal they spent most of that time arguing about Labour’s nuclear disarmament plan.
Mr Miliband is starting his day in Washington with a round-table at the Centre for American Progress. Matt Browne, senior fellow at the liberal think-tank, said that the session would be for up to 25 senior Washington people, including senators, governors and house representatives, who “want a chance to get to know Ed better”.
At the White House, Mr Obama’s team are understood to be interested to hear Mr Miliband’s views on Europe.
A source with knowledge of Mr Miliband’s visit said: “Should there be a brush-by, it is more than Mr Obama usually does with visiting opposition leaders, and it is exactly what Mr Cameron got with President Bush.”
How important are you? A guide to presidential meetings
State visit
Several days of festivities, including banquet at the White House with A-list guests. The Queen had her last state visit in 2007. British prime ministers, who are not heads of state, do not get the official state visit
Official visit
A visiting world leader gets the bilateral Oval Office meeting, complete with photocall, a joint press conference in the Rose Garden or East Room and a private lunch with the president. Angela Merkel had this level of visit in May, David Cameron got a more rushed version
Private bilateral
World leader meets president in the Oval Office, but has no joint press conference. Gordon Brown was apparently snubbed in 2009 when he got this meeting, but journalists’ questions in the Oval Office were permitted
Private meeting
A visiting leader of the opposition can meet the president and be photographed in the Oval Office. Tony Blair got 20 minutes with Bill Clinton in April 1996
Drop-in or brush-by
Visitor gets a meeting in the White House with senior advisers and the president drops in. David Cameron managed 30 minutes with George W Bush in 2007, but no picture
