By NILE GARDINER [The Telegraph] – In an historic speech to Parliament today in Westminster Hall, President Obama paid tribute to the Anglo-American Special Relationship, the first time he has done so in a major address during his presidency. Only the third US president to speak to both the House of Commons and House of Lords, after Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, Barack Obama placed great emphasis on the enduring friendship between the United States and Great Britain:

I come here today to reaffirm one of the oldest and strongest alliances the world has ever known. It has long been said that the United States and the United Kingdom share a special relationship… The reason for this close friendship doesn’t just have to do with our shared history and heritage; our ties of language and culture; or even the strong partnership between our governments. Our relationship is special because of the values and beliefs that have united our people through the ages.

Continued at The Telegraph |

But there will always be Paris.

By NILE GARDINER [The Telegraph] – The Obama administration is not known for its pro-British track record, but this is by far the strongest indication yet that the current White House has little regard for the Special Relationship and its unique role in modern American history. At a White House photo opportunity with French President Nicolas Sarkozy today, recorded by C-Span (view the video at 2:45 for the remark), President Obama had this to say:

“We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people.”

Quite what the French have done to merit this kind of high praise from the US president is difficult to fathom, and if the White House means what it says this represents an extraordinary sea change in US foreign policy.

Continued at The Telegraph | Full text of President Obama’s speech in Westminster Hall | C-Span video of Obama-Sarkozy photo session | More Chronicle & Notices.