Justin Webb's America

A momentary encounter

• Justin Webb
• 14 Dec 07, 12:19 AM GMT

Arrived back from chilly Kansas in time to shake hands with the president and the first lady at the annual White House holiday party.

What does one do on these occasions?

We are not close, Mr Bush and I, because as you know he is busy and when he does give interviews they tend, understandably, to be with American networks.

And yet there are a million things I would like to ask him: after all I write about him a lot. In the end the moment comes (it really is a moment) and I play safe: we talk about a mutual friend and our encounter is done.

Sadly, my friend Tim Reid, who writes for the London Times, was not there. I wonder if that has anything to do with the following misunderstanding.

At a previous Christmas party, Tim was introduced to Mr Bush as "Tim Reid from the Times". Unfortunately, the president had recently been interviewed by one of Tim's colleagues, not by Tim, but hearing the words "The Times" Mr Bush said, not unreasonably, "Hey Tim - didn't we meet just a few days ago?"

As Tim describes it, the terrible curse of English good manners kicked in and he felt unable to contradict the commander-in-chief. Instead he heard himself mutter, "Umm, well, yes Mr President we might have met..."

"Might have met!" Mr Bush looked surprised, and turning to Tim's wife, raised an eyebrow and said, "You'd have thought he'd have remembered!"

America's 43rd president has suffered all manner of indignities in recent years; but surely none so searing...

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