Britain's Brown looks past Bush presidency

By Matt Spetalnick and Sumeet Desai

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush was upstaged on Thursday as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown met U.S. presidential candidates before seeing him, a stark reminder that world leaders are now looking to his successor.

Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain came off the campaign trail to talk with Brown, who expressed confidence any of the three would maintain a "special relationship" between the United States and Britain.

Only then did he go to the White House and sit down with Bush, who shares the British prime minister's plight -- low popularity and economic problems at home.

With Bush in the final year of his presidency, the two leaders steered clear of differences over the unpopular war in Iraq and focused instead on common ground, including efforts to keep pressure on Iran over its nuclear ambitions.

Joking and smiling, they tried to dispel perceptions of a chilly personal relationship, in contrast to the chumminess Bush displayed with Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair.

"If it wasn't a personal relationship, I wouldn't be inviting the man to a nice hamburger or something," Bush said at a joint news conference, referring to the private dinner the leaders and their wives will share on Thursday.

Tackling an issue that has hurt both leaders' public approval ratings, Brown said he and Bush agreed to do "everything in our power to ensure economic stability and growth" before a Group of Eight summit in Japan in July.

The global economy has been plagued by a credit crunch, record oil prices and market turmoil.

But Brown's talks with Bush took second billing in his second U.S. visit since taking office less than a year ago.

Determined to avoid being tagged as "Bush's poodle" like Blair, Brown seemed even more eager to lay the groundwork for a closer bond with the next president.

A rapid-fire series of 45-minute sessions at the British ambassador's residence may have yielded clues to how the winner of the November election might change policies that have at times rankled Britain and other European allies.

NO ENDORSEMENT

Brown declined to endorse one candidate over another but said, "What I was convinced of, after talking to each of them ... is that the relationship between America and Britain will remain strong, remain steadfast."

Brown made clear earlier that he hopes for an improved partnership between Europe and Washington under the next administration when divisions over Iraq come to an end.

While Brown is closer on the political spectrum to the two Democrats than to McCain, Bush's fellow Republican, all three have taken stands that could win favor with the head of Britain's center-left Labour Party.