Obama enjoys the luck of the Irish

“THIS is a first for both of us,” Barack Obama said of his meeting with Brian Cowen, “and with a little bit of luck, I’m sure we’ll get it right”.

Well, the US President pronounced Cowen as Cohen, but that apart, this was a flawless performance.

The jury is still out on whether Obama will be a good commander-in-chief, but he was certainly an amazing campaigner. It was easy to see why yesterday, his natural charisma and warm, easy demeanour very much in evidence.