Recession, War Top Brown's DC To-Do List

Gordon Brown is en route to Washington, where the British prime minister will become the first foreign leader to meet with Barack Obama on American soil and address a joint session of Congress. The visit comes ahead of next month's G20 summit in London, and Brown will be looking for Obama's support for a global effort to tackle the recession and financial reforms.

The two leaders will also discuss the future of Afghanistan, although the Obama administration has said it will not seek additional British troops, reports the Financial Times. Brown, who continues to lag in opinion polls in Britain, is hoping that a successful meeting with Obama followed by a productive G20 summit may boost him ahead of an election, which he must call before May 2010.