A special relationship once more What is intriguing is how the special relationship has apparently been put back on track. Three years ago, Gordon Brown was left skulking around outside a United Nations kitchen for a conversation with Obama at an international summit. When the President came to office, he was widely thought to be relatively anti-British - apparently scarred by the experiences of his grandfather in colonial Kenya. But last week, Obama's spokesman was describing Britain as "our closest partner in the world" and talking of the "close personal bond" between the President and Prime Minister. "The impression we get now is that the Americans regret the way the relationship was cast at the beginning - they were aloof and now there seems to be a certain amount of making amends," said one government source. Initially, those around the President were said to be relatively sceptical of Cameron, whose British public-school background was starkly at odds with the image Obama had cultivated in the Chicago projects. However, as the pair spent more time together, a genuine warmth and "mutual respect" emerged, especially after the Libyan military action. Michelle Obama's role in the deepening relationship is also fascinating. During 2009, she made a visit to an inner-city school in Islington, north London. She has since stayed in touch with the school, taking pupils to Oxford University last year, and a group of them will visit the White House this week. The Obamas" state visit to Britain last year also had a big impact on the couple. One Downing Street aide said: "The mix of pomp but also the friendliness they were shown by everyone from the Queen to the British public, we are told, was something of a game-changer in the relationship." The building of the personal relationship has coincided with a period of growing American frustration towards leaders in continental Europe. Obama was Nicolas Sarkozy's guest of honour at the G20 in Cannes last November, which Sarkozy had hoped to use to launch his re-election bid. However, the Americans were unwilling to put their money on the table to allow the French President to announce a major international bail-out for the single currency. Silvio Berlusconi, the then prime minister of Italy, which was at the centre of the growing storm, fell asleep during the key G20 negotiations. American officials left the summit surprised by the inchoate European reaction to the crisis sweeping the eurozone. The relationship with Britain was given a new significance. But what of Mr Cameron, who will this week find himself on the front line of Obama's re-election bid in a key swing state? Is it too much of a risk to potentially alienate the Republicans and what will he hope to achieve from the visit? Downing Street strategists believe that the "tortuous" contest to find a Republican presidential candidate - coupled with the recent signs of recovery in the American economy - mean that Obama is likely to remain in the White House. Cameron will not even meet Mitt Romney or any other Republican candidate this week. One aide said: "The assumption is that Obama will now be in office until 2016." However, the Tories will be on a distinctly sticky wicket if the Republicans do win the presidency this year. Downing Street insists the goal of a better, more personal relationship with Obama is "crucial" and deny that he will be on the stump for the President. But for Mr Cameron's own electoral prospects, the risks are well worth taking. Pictures and television footage of the Prime Minister and the President are "electoral gold." Downing Street strategists have identified ethnic and women voters as two of the key groups that Mr Cameron must win over to secure a majority in 2015. Both groups lionise Obama. Away from the cynical need for good photos and the raw politics of the trip, there are also major international situations that are deeply troubling for both administrations. The reaction to the growing Syrian crisis will be intensely debated. But, top of the agenda is Iran. Benjamin Nethanayu, the Israeli prime minister, was in Washington last week and the current intelligence assessment is that the Israelis are poised to launch a pre-emptive strike against Iranian nuclear sites. Cameron is worried about the "4am call" when he is awoken to be told that a regional war is imminent as an Israeli or Iranian attack has been launched. He is understood to be keen to learn exactly how Obama would react in this, increasingly likely, situation. Afghanistan is also very high on the agenda. British officials are concerned that now Osama bin Laden has been killed, the Americans will want to "cut and run" from Afghanistan as soon as possible. A major Nato summit will take place in Chicago in May to discuss the withdrawal, and Cameron is keen to have a united position with the Americans. This week should, at the very least, solidify and strengthen the special relationship. However, should Obama not be returned to the White House, the political attractions of the presidential red carpet may count for nought.