From the president's just-concluded speech at Westminster Hall:
Centuries ago, when kings, emperors, and warlords reigned over much of the world, it was the English who first spelled out the rights and liberties of man in the Magna Carta. It was here, in this very hall, where the rule of law first developed, courts were established, disputes were settled, and citizens came to petition their leaders.
Over time, the people of this nation waged a long and sometimes bloody struggle to expand and secure their freedom from the crown. Propelled by the ideals of the Enlightenment, they would ultimately forge an English Bill of Rights, and invest the power to govern in an elected parliament that’s gathered here today.
What began on this island would inspire millions throughout the continent of Europe and across the world. But perhaps no one drew greater inspiration from these notions of freedom than your rabble-rousing colonists on the other side of the Atlantic. As Winston Churchill said, the “…Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, Habeas Corpus, trial by jury, and English common law find their most famous expression in the American Declaration of Independence.”
Money quote:
It's the full Anglophile Monty, begun with a pretty good joke:
I have known few greater honors than the opportunity to address the Mother of Parliaments at Westminster Hall. I am told that the last three speakers here have been the Pope, Her Majesty the Queen, and Nelson Mandela — which is either a very high bar or the beginning of a very funny joke.
Channel 4's Jon Snow tweets:
C4News poll 8 yrs ago found 22% of Brits had confidence in George Bush: Today we find 72% have confidence Barak Obama: surprise, surprise!!
Others are less impressed: Ken Clarke, Tory grandee, seemed to fall asleep. Alex Spillius notes:
Not his finest but the setting of Westminster Hall made up for that. Deep tribute to US-UK ties. If we don't lead, who will? … By quoting Churchill in his Buckingham Palace toast Obama was trying to lay the ghost of Winston's bust to rest, as it were.
The Churchill quote Obama used is a wonderful one. The phrase "chirps of freedom" is such an unexpected and yet haunting metaphor. Maybe Twitter should coopt it as a slogan. Word clouds of Reagan's, Clinton's and Obama's speeches to parliament here. Former foreign secretary David Miliband notes:
Obama speech came alive talking about diverse societies. But not one non-white person on British establishment side of stage.
(Photo: US President Barack Obama (C) accompanied by the speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow (L) and House of Lords Speaker Baroness Hayman arrive at the Palace of Westminster on May 25, 2011 in London, United Kingdom. The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, and his wife Michelle are in the UK for a two day State Visit at the invitation of HM Queen Elizabeth II. Last night they attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace and today's events include talks at Downing Street and the President will address both houses of parliament at Westminster Hall. By Sang Tan – WPA Pool/Getty Images.)
The Dish 