http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/world/how-our-expm-took-the-presidentelects-bed/2009/01/07/1231004090186.html

How our ex-PM took the President-elect's bed

Thank heavens that John Howard is now our ex-Prime Minister, for it appears that he has inadvertently bumped President-Elect Barack Obama to the waiting list for the official presidential guest-manse, Blair House, forcing the first family into the nearby Hay-Adams Hotel.

Washington has been awash with speculation about the identity of the presidential guest who had caused the Obamas, whose children started school this week, to take up digs in a hotel.

But on Tuesday, the day after the White House announced that Mr Howard, the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe are to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom next week, it emerged that Mr Howard was the dignitary in question.

Mr Howard and Mrs Howard had been invited to stay at Blair House some time ago, and "that was the invitation", a spokesman for the former prime ministeer said.

The couple will stay just one night - January 12 - and will not be accompanied by an entourage as some reports suggested, he said.

"I am sure he was unaware that Mr Obama wanted to come in early, when he accepted the invitation," the spokesman said.

Sally McDonough, a spokeswoman for first lady Laura Bush also underscored that the inconvenience to the Obamas was inadvertent.

"Like many White House and Blair House events, planning occurs months in advance," Ms. McDonough said.

The medal ceremony is to take place in the White House next Tuesday.

Several receptions are also scheduled at Blair House over the next week and have been months in the planning, she added.

The Obamas announced in late November that they were sending their girls to Sidwell Friends School, where classes resumed on Monday, and requested an early move into the 119- room mansion, which is across the street from the White House.

They will now move in on 15 January.

Only the Howards are staying at Blair House before the medal ceremony. Mr Blair traditionally stays at the British Embassy and Mr Ulribe found other accommodations.

As for the Howards and the Obamas cohabiting in the manse, security arrangements would, no doubt, make that impossible.

But even if it had been feasible, it would have been very awkward.

The day after Mr Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2007, Mr Howard said Mr Obama's pledge to remove troops by March 31, 2008, would encourage the terrorists.

"I think he's wrong. I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilise and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for an Obama victory," Mr Howard told the Nine Network.

"If I were running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory not only for Obama but also for the Democrats."

Mr Obama responded equally stridently.

"I think it's flattering that one of George Bush's allies on the other side of the world started attacking me the day after I announced," Mr Obama told reporters from the campaign trail.

"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops in Iraq, and my understanding is Mr Howard has deployed 1400, so if he is ... to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq.

"Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric."

Not exactly breakfast chat.