So the chameleon lives on. Tony Blair, the closest world leader to George Bush, was this morning awarded "first friend" status by Barack Obama. At the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Obama lavished praise on Blair, who was the principal speaker.

The president said: "I want to thank my good friend Tony Blair for coming today, somebody who did it first and perhaps did it better than I will do. He has been an example for so many people around the world of what dedicated leadership can accomplish. And we are very grateful to him."

Obama's gushing remarks shows that Blair has pulled off a charm offensive that even some fans thought was beyond the former prime minister: to woo the new president who has spent his first weeks trashing key legacies of Bush's presidency.

Obama's warm words show that the new president appears to agree with Blair's assessment at the weekend that they are similar political figures who are almost above the political fray. Blair told the Times on Saturday: "I think there is a new generation of political leaders who find the very traditional pigeonholing rather redundant, actually."

But Blair's deep interest in faith - he was the principal speaker at this morning's breakfast in his role as head of his Faith Foundation - has obviously endeared him to Obama, as my colleague Benedict Brogan writes on his blog.