Yesterday Guido was bombarded with emails from one outraged and perhaps over-emotional Labour spinner accusing him of making up the story about staffers being invited to pad out the Congrssional chamber. So for their benefit here is an excerpt from this morning’s Washington Post:

…Several dozen members of Congress skipped the speech. Their seats in the chamber were taken by House and Senate staff and other guests.

According to the office of the House clerk, Brown’s appearance marked the 107th time a foreign leader or dignitary has addressed a joint meeting of Congress, going back to 1874 when King David Kalakaua of Hawaii gave an address.

No need for an apology.

UPDATE : From the Indy this morning;

Boy Scouts Swell the Clapping Crowds
It was all hands on deck with congressional aides ensuring the chamber was packed. Minutes before the session began, Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota led a knot of young aides and interns down the corridors of the Capitol. They were joined by a scout troop and other staffers brought in to fill empty spaces.

Finally Gordon Brown entered the chamber to resounding applause, reaching to greet members on both sides of the aisle like old friends. Many were. Mr Brown has spent decades cultivating the top political leadership of the Democratic party. It was the political version of This Is Your Life and he basked in the glory of it.