Truth is found in what lies beneath

POLITICS is rarely as it appears on the surface. A point brought home again to me while waiting around in the White House press room on St Patrick’s Day.

It was the same venue United States President George W Bush used the following week to give a rare news conference on the occasion of the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq.

On the television screens it appeared the perfect backdrop for the imperial presidency, with viewers seeing Mr Bush framed by the imposing dark blue curtains behind him, emblazoned with the White House seal.