Always turns up like bad pence

Should US Vice-President Mike Pence mistake the courteousness and hospitality of his hosts during his visit to Europe last week as an endorsement of what he said, he would be able to submit a perfect report to the US president.

But courtesy and hospitality are part of the diplomacy his hosts are duty-bound to follow. In reality, what he said has invited strong reactions, including sarcastic commentaries and reports, calling his trip "disastrous", "awkward" and "bumpy".

As an Irish saying goes, if you can't say anything good, say nothing at all. Yet Pence seemed happy to rub salt in Britons' wound by declaring the US president's unconditional support for a no-deal Brexit, and regaled in smearing China. If courtesy is part of diplomats' job description, committing faux pas and embarrassing his hosts have become integral to Pence's style of diplomacy.