Brown's Audacity of Hype DC Tour

The media is being whipped up into a frenzy over Brown's state visit to Washington. But apart from new pictures for the Downing Street album, Brown's Audacity of Hype tour may turn into a damp squib.

Downing Street is staking everything on the trip, ahead of the last throw of the dice at April's G20 London summit. 

But Brown is a dead man sleepwalking into Capitol Hill, while his fag-end of a government collapses around his ears. 

As Tim Montgomerie over at consevativehome has been told by a US website editor - Brown is hardly box-office.

Brown's grubby paws are all over the financial mess facing the country, while he spins and blames everybody but himself. Congress knows that. Obama knows that. Everyone know that except the deluded Supreme Leader. Brown needs Obama far more than Obama needs Brown. 

No-one in Washington gives a monkeys what Brown thinks. After all Obama will be dealing with prime minister Cameron in less than 18 months time. 

The Orange Party can sit back with some smugness after posting speculation of Brown's Washington visit way back on February 6 - along with a likely agenda, which has become eerily close to the truth.

The new commander-in-chief wants only two things from Brown. More support and troops for his hopeless war in Afghanistan. And someone to back him up as he embarks on an unprecedented borrowing binge and spending spree. Who better suited for that than Brown. 

The president knows where to look for advice on the crisis facing America and that is not to Brown's bankrupt Britain. And he knows where to go for a global borrowing solution. Clinton has already been dispatched to sell her soul and suck up to China without a by-your-leave to human rights. 

As well as hoping some of the Obama magic will rub off on him, Brown is being received by Congress but only as a courtesy, the final flourish of the 'special relationship' now respun and rebranded as a 'partnership'. How very New Labour.

But Downing street is certainly in a spin as the global leader sets out his global credentials to save the world, this time with a new global New Deal for the global recession. Couple that with an anti-protectionism trade deal and it suits Obama down to the ground.

Western leaders are worried sick about a backlash back home after letting the debt bubble grow so big it burst. So they all agreed this was the fault of mysterious "global forces" and nothing to do with them. 

Bleating about protectionism and calling for 'global solutions' gets them off the hook. But more importantly, it keeps them in power. 

But Obama doesn't need to buy into all that. After all, that was Bush's burst bubble. Obama now owns the US recession depression but, unlike Brown, not the cause. 

Political strategists know Brown is drinking at the last chance saloon and this week's Washington visit, along with G20, are the last chances to woo voters for the general election. The Orange Party's money is still on June 4, but maybe that's just wishful thinking. 

Which ever way you look at it, it's difficult see what Brown and Obama could actually announce that would suddenly and miraculously transform Brown into Mr Popular. 

So the question remains just what will Brown have to say when he addresses Congress? 

Obama showed he had guts when an appointment went pear-shaped, readily admitting "I've screwed up". Fraser Nelson has already written Brown's speech and posted a copy in the News of the Screws, with the opening line: "Mr President.. I’ve screwed up". 

No doubt the hardened core of UK journalists and hangers-on despatched to cover the trip will be love-bombed and brow-beaten by Downing Street aides to write something nice and positive for the folks back home. The Orange Party suggests keeping an eye on The Washington Post for the real low down on the how-down.

But the Orange Party always looks on the bright side of life. The carefully staged photo-op will bring with it a new set of pictures. Everyone has got thoroughly fed up using the same tired smiley shot of Brown and Obama in the Downing Street garden - that was so last year.

As Brown was due to fly out today, Washington was in the grips of a freak March snowstorm. Could this be the curse of Jonah?