George W. Bush is at record lows in the opinion polls at home. He is widely despised outside his own country as well. But when he walks into the room at Wednesday’s Group of Eight leading industrialised nations summit in Germany, there will still be no doubt about who is top dog.

Just think of his relationship with the other leaders there. At various times he has given Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, a back-rub (subsequently apologised for); hollered “Yo Blair!” at his closest ally; and pronounced himself satisfied with the state of Vladimir Putin’s soul. This is classic top dog behaviour – all the more so because the condescension to other world leaders is so instinctive and unstudied.