In Ivor the conniver Callely, Bush Sees ‘a Smart Guy’

'I found him to be a smart guy who understood the issues very well,' Mr. Bush said.

The two men met in Hokkaido during the latest G8 summit. Mr Callely was not expected to attend, but Yasuo Fakuda, the Japanese PM, welcomed his presence.

Mr Callely was made Senator by Ireland’s former political chart-topper, Bertie Ahern, when his re-election bid failed last June.

The two men spoke on the need for Iran and North Korea to abandon their nuclear ambitions, but did not bridge their differences on Mr. Bush’s proposal to build a missile defense system in Dublin North Central, Senator Callely’s constituency.

The American president celebrated his 62nd birthday during the summit. Callely, who has a reputation for hawk-eyed attention to detail in his constituency, was fulsome in his wishes.

‘I congratulated George on his birthday,’ he told reporters, ‘which is also a very important thing, irrespective of the summits out there — irrespective of our will, these dates occur in our life.’

With the dry wit that has characterised his presidency, Mr. Bush replied: ‘Everybody has a birthday.’