Britain's leaders heads to US pledging to reinvigorate ties

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Despite a gloomy financial outlook and domestic complaints over his response to the global credit crunch, Brown said he believes Britain and America can enjoy a new decade of growth.

The British leader, who was scheduled to arrive late Tuesday with his wife for his second visit since replacing Tony Blair last June, offered praise for all three prospective U.S. presidential candidates. But he specifically endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton's economic plans.

After a frosty first meeting with President Bush in July, Brown said he hopes he can help strengthen U.S. and Europe ties and aims to lead efforts on tackling spiraling food and fuel prices, reform global institutions and combat climate change.

"I feel I can bring Europe and America closer together for the future," Brown said in an interview with CBS News shown Tuesday. "That will be to the advantage of all of us, to deal with economic problems, climate change and help make for a more peaceful world in the future. I see huge opportunities in the next few years for Europe and America to work more closely together."

Brown's stiff formality during talks last year with Bush at Camp David, Md., led some to question his desire to work closely with the current president.

"I'm very pro-American, and I've always been so," Brown told CBS. "Ours is a very special relationship. I feel that America and Britain can achieve so much in the next few years."

Bush and Brown will talk at the White House and then hold a Rose Garden news conference Thursday.

The British leader said a plan to reduce British troop numbers in southern Iraq from about 4,000 to 2,500 would remain on hold until Iraqi security forces show progress in driving out militias. The troop drawdown, which had been due to begin within weeks, was delayed following a recent spike in violence in the oil-rich southern city of Basra.

Brown hopes to also meet with John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and Democratic party rivals Barack Obama and Clinton in Washington on Thursday.

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