Obama: a fascinating contrast with Bush

This G20 exists at so many levels. Take Brazil’s President Lula. Fearless campaigner against the carbon footprint. But having flown from Brazil to Doha and Doha to Paris, today he abandoned his plane, sending it empty to London while he took the train.

But the high spot thus far has been the Obama-Brown press conference. Brown, nervous and reading tightly from a script, Obama relaxed. The “One” has a cold.

Fascinating contrast with Bush. When he visited London there was a degree of fear in the air that something might go wrong. George W Bush didn’t exactly exude confidence. Today the atmosphere was relaxed. The Secret Service cast jokes with each other – as if Obama’s confidence enables everyone around him to relax.

There’s little doubt Brown was shirt-tailing Obama. The president is making the prime minister look good.

But whilst the talk centred on fiscal stimuli and international regulation, Obama sidestepped the formality with a reference to meeting Brown’s two boys. He said: “We talked dinosaurs and climate change.”

Obama already looks weathered by his first 70 days in office. Hillary looked on, 10ft directly in front of him, facing him. Impossible to know what was going on in her mind, save that she laughed at his jokes.

Treasury Secretary Geithner sat two away from her, rather small and greying fast. He has a worry or two on his mind.

Brown issued five tests by which we could judge success. One: regulation. Two: action to resume growth. Three: co-operation to sustain growth. Four: fight protectionism. Five: help the poor.

To watch live coverage of Barack Obama’s meeting with Gordon Brown, plus the protests in the City of London, click here.