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The Times:

Gordon Brown became an unintentional standard-bearer for pro-Tibet campaigners today after being wrongly praised by Hillary Clinton for boycotting the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

The British media have treated the confirmation by No 10 yesterday of his plans not to attend the opening ceremony as an important foreign policy move, leading to reports around the world that he had snubbed China…

…Critics have accused the Prime Minister of causing confusion by his remarks at a recent news conference with President Sarkozy of France. Mr Sarkozy mentioned the possibility of a boycott whereas Mr Brown ruled one out, saying: “Britain will be attending the Olympic Games ceremonies.”

Mrs Clinton jumped to the conclusion that he was taking a stand…

That just above has to be one of the most unintentionally funny reporting sentences to have been composed in a long time. Sen Clinton clearly doesn’t know Mr Brown very well.

Moreover, it is obvious she doesn’t grasp how he parts company especially from Mr Blair. If he were still in office, Mr Blair would never have allowed himself to have been seen to be so indecisive. He certainly would not have PR stumbled so badly as perhaps to irritate not just the Chinese (in not raising the torch on high outside Downing Street, and due to subsequent media, which might have led them also to believe he would be “boycotting”), but also the Tibet activists (who now discover suddenly that he is not going to the opening not because of their struggle, but, uhhh, because he was never going).

Upon its arrival in Downing Street, Mr Blair would have seized the torch in full view of news cameras and smiling Chinese officials. Half an hour later, he would have reminded gathered reporters that they simply must have forgotten he never intended to attend the opening ceremony, but would of course, because London is hosting 2012, travel to Beijing to accept the torch at the games’ end. Then, in a quivering voice, he would also have spoken eloquently about the necessity to support the people of Tibet, as well as all of those confronting oppression everywhere.

Outcome: Chinese not upset by any perceived public “torch snub”, and democratic activists reasonably satisfied by good words at the later press conference . . . with he himself looking like he was taking a stand and seeming to be behaving as if he were doing so, while never actually doing anything differently than he had ever planned to do in the first place. Mr Brown can’t get the knack. He totally lacks that “Blair flair”.