Could Brown have a better relationship with the US if McCain was President?

The fraught Brown/Obama relationship - which resembles the sort of awkward flirtation that occurs when someone just isn't interested in the person desperately trying to win them over - makes me wonder whether whether the "Right" "Honourable" Gordon Brown would actually have been better off with McCain winning last year's presidential election rather than Obama.

Sure, McCain and Brown are ideologically worlds apart. Yet the Brown-Obama relationship is testament to the fact that having similar ideas doesn't mean you will get on. Besides, McCain has carved out a niche for himself as a maverick who is happy to overcome ideological differences if the political situation demands it. Furthermore, both men are grizzled political survivors. They might have far more in common than between Obama and Brown. If all else failed, they could always talk about their mutual interest in courage; McCain could regale stories that Brown could use in his next book on that subject.

Yet this idea falls apart when faced with political reality. After all, in a classic example of someone hedging their bets, Cameron managed to position himself to appear to be supporting both McCain and Obama. In fact, he categorically threw his weight behind McCain in January of last year. This has to be contrasted with the effective radio silence from Brown towards McCain that is typical of Brown when he hasn't worked out whether someone can directly help him or not. Then there is the issue of the al Megrahi release: an act that has badly damaged US-UK relations. I doubt McCain would have been forgiving on this issue either; in fact, I'd almost imagine he would have been more angry than Obama. Perhaps a President McCain would be just as unhelpful to the desperate 'Make Brown a World Statesman' campaign as President Obama actually is.

Which just goes to show that the problem is the US President; it is Gordon Brown. He is an unpopular, unlikeable leader with an unhealthy streak of political cowardice running through him. He carries with him a heavy stench of failure. No first term President would want to too closely associated with a British Prime Minister who is perhaps the very definition of a loser.