Here Comes The Junior Partner

Before he came to power, Cameron told TIME, "Blair [to America] was too much the new friend telling you everything you want to hear rather than the best friend telling you what you need to hear." British leaders, Cameron says, need to understand that they have limited sway in Washington. "We should always be conscious of the fact that we're the junior partner in this relationship and America is a Pacific power as well as an Atlantic power. I think that we should deal with things as they are rather than trying to be too needy."... But the new Prime Minister has no intention of needlessly distancing himself from Washington. "I think it is a special relationship," says Cameron of the alliance. "I think it's an essential relationship for us."