Meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown

Katie Couric Speaks Exclusively With Britain's Leader On The Eve Of His U.S. Trip

(CBS)  In London lately, the economic news is sounding very similar to that of the United States. Home prices are down and credit is tight.

The man heading the government has seen his approval ratings plummet. Prime Minister Gordon Brown leaves Tuesday for a U.S. visit.

But not before he agreed to an exclusive interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric.

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Read the full transcript of Katie Couric's interview with Gordon Brown here.

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His first 10 months have been an unexpected struggle for a man who's been preparing for this role for more than 10 years.

He's known as the stern Scotsman. For a decade, Gordon Brown was the serious partner in an unlikely political pairing.

While the affable Tony Blair served as prime minister, Brown worked hard behind the scenes, running Great Britain's economy, which soared during their years together.

But he always wanted the top job.

He got it last year, when Blair finally left office, his popularity dragged down by the Iraq war.

But trouble quickly followed: A terrorist attack three days after taking office, floods and an economic slowdown.

A Financial Times/Harris poll out today shows 68 percent of Britons are not confident of his ability to handle the economic crisis. That's a bitter pill for the one-time financial wizard.

Brown is 57, married and the father of two sons. A gifted student, he entered the University of Edinburgh at 15, one of their youngest ever.

He lost one eye in a rugby accident, and nearly lost the other. He met Couric Monday at his official residence, 10 Downing Street, where it's virtually impossible to avoid being reminded of his illustrious predecessors.

For the full interview, including what Brown had to say about why he hasn't met Barack Obama, what Europe thinks of the United States, and what's on his iPod, click here.

[irliberal]

The only thing remotely interesting about this story is it begs the question: Why hasn''t CBS canned Katie yet? She''s insipid, somtimes inane and ALWAYS boring. I liked Dan Rather a lot better.