A RARE British consensus greeted President Clinton's reelection yesterday. Political leaders here tripped over each other in the rush to lavish tributes on the White House victor with Labour sensing an augury for the British election to come, and Mr John Major dismissing "chattering class nonsense" about "a read across" from the US to Britain.
Rejecting suggestions that Mr Clinton's victory evidenced a seachange against the right, a bullish Mr Major declared: "I didn't see a change of presidency in the United States. I saw the incumbent re elected."
And while some commentators talked excitedly about a future Clinton/Blair axis, Mr Major insisted he looked forward "to continuing to work closely with the President over the next four years".
As the prime minister placed a congratulatory telephone call to the White House, Mr Tony Blair wrote to the President offering his "heartfelt congratulations". Mr Blair said: "Your positive, forward looking campaign, and your well deserved success will be an inspiration to fellow progressive parties around the world." The Labour leader continued: "It shows that the future can beat the past, that hope can triumph over fear, and that parties like ours, when they occupy the middle ground, can win over the vast majority of our people."
But while Mr Blair also looked forward to working closely with the President during his second term, Mr Major said he and Mr Clinton had a stack of "unfinished business ... in NATO, in the Middle East, in the Gulf".
Conspicuously, perhaps, Mr Major made no reference to Northern Ireland. The official line is that the Clinton administration has been an ally on the North, exerting pressure on Sinn Fein and IRA after the collapse of the ceasefire, and upholding the commitment of the British and Irish governments to the principle of "consent". There is no doubt that British ministers were thrilled with the impact of the President's visit to Northern Ireland last November. And there is widespread praise for the role of Senator George Mitchell in chairing the inter party talks at Stormont.
However, if earlier difficulties over the Gerry Adams visa have been erased, there are signs of continuing Conservative unease about US pressure to ease the conditions for Sinn Fein's reentry into the political process. And with an election of their own coming up, the consensus among British Conservatives is that the Americans can enjoy little leverage, at least in the short term.
By last autumn, events in Bosnia - and the scale of British military support - had helped restore, and assert the primacy of the "special relationship" between Britain and the United States. The mutual admiration on display at 10 Downing Street was in stark contrast to the coolness which followed Mr Clinton's election four years ago, after alleged attempts by Tories to "dig the dirt" on the then challenger to President Bush.
Tory strategists attended the American conventions earlier this year. But any lessons drawn about the art of negative campaigning were plainly stored for domestic use.