As soon as Gordon Brown finished his speech, a telling dispute broke out among the Sky Television pundits. Had Mr Brown got as many standing ovations as Tony Blair when he addressed Congress in the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq? Sky's man in Congress insisted not. The studio back home called it a draw - 19 standing ovations each.
The squabble was a telling sign that what really matters to the British audience is whether the Americans still love us - and by how much. The British loathe themselves for caring so deeply about this, but they cannot help it.
