Many Britons - and even some Americans - have a false idea of what the US is really like. Are Hollywood and TV to blame?

‘Mr Obama subscribes to the European critique of the Bush administration, but the self-abasement that the critics demand from America is as implausible as it is undesirable’

‘Let’s stop accusing the US of being a big bully. They are the ones who foot the bill and provide the military hardware’

‘When a friend who is supposedly a fashion adviser offers to massage your husband, there is a problem’