I had a chat with BBC West Midlands today about President Obama's visit to Britain and the "essential relationship". The take-away line is that this is "more style than substance", both on the international front and in US politics --- the difficult issues such as Afghanistan, the Middle East, and the future of NATO will not make a public appearance.
But it was not all cynicism --- we discussed Obama's skills at being "President of the World", and we even had the chance to bring in the Royal Family (for them, this visit is a big win) and Michelle Obama.
The item starts just after the 1:03.00 mark with a report from a correspondent, followed three minutes later by my discussion with host Ed Doolan.