What's the message here? Reality sucks and megahype (just like sex) sells.

No one is going to publically dare to press Obama on any important issue. Why?

Because that's not polite.
How dare you publically criticize the President. What are you, unpatriotic?
Because reporters let Obama's handlers screen all questions prior to an interview.
If you do push Obama, you're cut off from the White House. We can't have that, now can we?

To the MSM Powers that be, it's much more exciting to see Obama and the lovely wife vs. the same old stock protest footage of George Galoway, Tony Benn, Taqriq Ali and other "names". Yawn, totally boring, etc.

Now, imagine if Marr (who had an affair) interviewed Obama and it turns out he was having an affair as well. How would the good old BBC handle THAT?

It's all our own fault. We treated the likeable George as an idiot, now we are being treated like idiots by a very nasty piece of work called Osama.

The presidency of Obama must be terminated by any means necessary. He is working to abolish the 22nd ammendment, once that happens he will be complete dictator of America and lead us into more and more wars, we have 5 wars now but since he pays nothing for them he keeps starting more. He either steps down or he gets put down like the rabid dog he is.

Obama has dignity, intelligence and a clear concern for the well-being of ordinary Americans. It's a shame we have no politicians in this country who can come even close to his ability.

I loved the line when he said "It is possible for the sons and daughters of former colonies to sit here as members of this great parliament and for the grandson of a Kenyan who served as a cook in the British army to stand before you as president of the United States"

...whereas our PM is David Cameron, son of a stockbroker, grandson of a baronet, descended from King William IV etc etc

oh please. presumably if Labour were in power we wouldn't have heard a peep from moaning Medhi. that said, it's all about the narrative. obama's visit comes on the back of the royal wedding, the queen's visit to ireland, and obama's visit ireland all of which added some light relief to the mess the economy's been in. plus from memory the blairs' various love ins with the clintons were equally as nauseating. obama is a charismatic actor just like blair was and that's why the press fall at his feet.

It not just the UK that sees Obama as some sort of celebrity, syncophants fawn over him across Europe. As you said in another article, he does have some serious questions that do need to be anwsered. If Bush was holding someone with a British parent, there would be a huge public fuss.

Despite knowing that banks such as Goldman and JP Morgan had fragrantly broken the law, failing for example to fulfil Tier II capital requirements and openly participating in insider trading, the Obama administration sat on its hands. http://www.trainingforcnacertification.org/cna-training-in-florida/

This author is just an Obama basher. Reporting on how the media reports too much on Obama?

He has nothing better to write about? Then don't complain that everyone else is doing the exact same thing!

As Alex Salmond has now pronouced that Scotland will retain the Queen as head of state and England will become a republic, I say Sarah Palin for President UM Um.

The US President is both a political and ceremonial head of state, so on these occasions will get an easy ride.

As I'd rather see him re-elected than a Republican, I don't have any particular objection.

4 years down the line still inspiring as ever . Obama is a well deserving worl leader . A natural at what he does if you like.
Let him be a president of Kenya if America had enough of him and now fancies the republican .
Nairobi
He knows we would

The BBC's coverage last night was truly witless, with Emily Maitlis outside Buckingham Palace talking to two demented monarchist spinsters about how nice everyone looked. This wasn't a two minute slot before the weather; this was ten minutes into the hourly news. Dreadful.

I think we're seeing the rebirth of full scale propaganda.
How lovely and British, the President is eating Kentish Lamb chops! Oh ignore the attack on your social rights look the royals are getting married!!

It's all distraction techniques. Libya virtually disappears from coverage, the House yesterday deliberates the use of Apache helicopters and is told that nothing is set in stone, it's only a discussion yet France told us of it in the first place at the weekend and the US has confirmed the use of Apache helicopters in the last 36 hours in Libya.

Meanwhile, the press just conveniently ignore it and the rest of the really important news and give us wall to wall cobblers on what exactly does essential mean in the context of this relationship, a low down on every thing you could possibly not wish to know about The Beast and mindless drivel ad nauseum on clothing, gifts and how her Maj has a special bond for the Obamas...says who exactly, has she told anyone at all or is it more space filling made up pabulum by the press pundits?

So we have a special and essential relationship,it means we will do what America wants us to do, their interests are our interests, we kowtow to them and do their bidding, Both sides of the political pond talk the talk on peace and democracy but never walk the walk and both fail miserably to live up to their promises they made pre election.

To sum it up - SSDD.

'Guests are apparently tucking into British sausages' ... made from pigeon droppings and royal wedding cake leftovers.

"...and I'm sure I won't be able to stop myself from going all weak-at-the-knees when he starts speaking. Agh!"

I knew you were a fellow believer! :)

Question for BHO...
What would you say to the grandchildren of a British army cook who have no chance of becoming President of Great Britain ?

Calm down dude, why all this player hating on a brother..where's the love

His great grandpappy was a sub human murdering Mau Mau thug but her Madge is much too gracious to say so! If obama was related to Hitler as well as Sean O casey we would have to rehabilitate the Fuhrer.

Interesting article. My thoughts:

Blair has gone, but Blairism lives on.

Nuff said.

Well he is the most powerful man on the planet, and some would say the leader of the free world. And also elected to that position, so why not a bit of deference?
If you met him Mehdi do you not think you would turn into fawning goo?

''Well he is the most powerful man on the planet''

Errrrr Uhhhhhhhh wrong and always will be no matter how many times you repeat it.

Hu Jintao and his puppetmaster are the most powerful men on the planet.

Has he closed down Gitmo? Has he increased the number of drone strikes in Pakistan?

Disappointing and hypocritical president. At least George Bush said what he thought not what he thought you wanted to hear.

Well the staff at the palace say he shits golden bricks like you prediced a few years back!

Over time the grand rhetorical gestures began to seem like empty words, the stuff of a slick and well-heeled PR machine. On domestic matters, Obama seemed to go against his own best wishes. Rather than establishing single-payer health, he settled for the public option; which effectively strong-armed those who could not afford insurance into buying some. This alarmed many who had been won over by Obama’s healthcare reform agenda during his electoral campaign. Obama’s advisors argued that, at the very least, people would have greater choice in terms of healthcare coverage. But this failed to solve the problem of those without the ability or means to pay for any form of insurance. What type of treatment would they receive in a system run entirely by ruthless insurance companies? The central problem with Obama’s healthcare proposals – better known as Obamacare – was that they were not carried through with any sense of conviction. Rather than sticking with the message of universal or single payer healthcare, Obama was seen to be consistently indecisive and to give into the demands of both Republicans and the private insurance health lobby in the US. The natural result was a Bill that is both incoherent and unfair (particularly to the most vulnerable members of American society). Making matters worse was the relative silence of big campaign mobilizers, like MoveOn.org, who failed to bring Obama to book for his weak compromise on health provision. Supine agreement best portrays their stance on Obama’s healthcare proposals.

Turning to foreign policy, the Obama administration has done nothing to end the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. As noted above, the newly elected Obama was filled with a passion – perhaps scripted – to change the hitherto rapid militarisation of American power around the globe. He appeared to support peace and diplomacy over military intervention and ever escalating war. Yet, since taking up office he has not only expanded the US mission in Afghanistan – agreeing to pour billions of taxpayers cash into unprofitable foreign ventures – but has retained the security state apparatus of the previous administration. In other words, the US Patriot Act is still in operation and the US remains in a state of emergency – a legally dubious position for any country to be in. Guantanamo Bay, contrary to earlier promises, remains open and will remain so perhaps until the end of his presidency. Moreover, indiscriminate drone attacks have actually increased under his leadership in both Yemen and Pakistan, killing hundreds of people and no doubt radicalising a new generation of western branded terrorists.

Meanwhile, the oil funds that should have gone to the people of Iraq have been mysteriously lost by the Pentagon: this accounts for billions of dollars worth of infrastructural funds (See ‘Audit Reveals Billions of Dollars of Iraqi Oil Fund Gone Missing’ in The Guardian: 27 July 2010). Aside from a small reduction in military units operating in Iraq, there has been an increase in mercenary organisations – private contractors (like Blackwater) who are being paid for by the American taxpayer. These contractors remain in Afghanistan, even after the death of Bin Ladin, and operate in a grey area in terms of international law (see the curious case of Raymond Davis: a Blackwater agent working in tandem with the CIA). Torture also continues to take place under the Obama administration. A recent report by Human Rights Watch makes this clear when it states that “illegal interrogation methods involving torture and other ill-treament” continue to take place with the full knowledge of the US government (‘World Report: 2011 Human Rights Watch: 624). The current detention of Private Bradley Manning, suspected of leaking information to Wikileaks, is a testament to the extreme cruelty of the US penal system. Added to this is the sobering fact that military tribunals are being used in place of civilian courts under the Obama administration. The chances of a fair trial in these conditions are minimal at least. These are not the actions of a peaceful man, let alone a peaceful leader.

Perhaps more worrying than the above is the failure of the Obama administration to regulate Wall Street following the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the subsequent crash of 2008. Despite knowing that banks such as Goldman and JP Morgan had fragrantly broken the law, failing for example to fulfil Tier II capital requirements and openly participating in insider trading, the Obama administration sat on its hands. It did not push for any convictions and to this day has only pursued one major case against banking fraud: that tied to the figure of Bernie Madoff. Paying over $800 billion dollars to the major perpetrators of the crisis – and all without strings attached – Obama effectively let the banks off the hook and granted them diplomatic immunity at the same time. In contrast to the Savings and Loans Crisis of the 1980s and 1990s when over 1000 bankers went to prison (thanks to the sterling efforts William K. Black), virtually no case has been pursued against any major US bank.

Indeed, the bailout of 2008 has been made worse by the fact that the US population has a very low savings rate. It has also imperilled American social security programmes as the government desperately searches for more cash to appease bondholders. (A similar situation is happening in Ireland at present.) Of course, none of this is a surprise when you consider that Obama’s Treasury staff is cram packed with former Wall Street traders and investment bankers. The resulting financial bill has therefore predictably failed to address the systemic problems of the US economy, with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner calling for an increase in the debt ceiling. A sounder strategy, on the part of Obama, would have been to increase the industrial base of the US and to start exporting goods to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, he has opted for the more vexing strategy of endless quantitive easing and an increase in the financial reach of Wall Street. None of this will end well for the US and for that matter, the rest of the world.

There is perhaps time for Obama to save his presidency if he actively undertakes a socially acceptable reform agenda. He can still impose regulations on the banking sector. He can stop drone attacks in Pakistan. He can stop torture and extraordinary rendition. He can repeal the disturbingly titled Patriot Act. And he can make inroads into further healthcare reform. The people of America voted in 2009 for an individual who would change the American political landscape. So far, they have ended up with a man that has repeatedly failed to meet their expectations. Only time will tell whether the ‘change’ he promised will appear on the horizon. Personally, I wouldn’t hold my breath.