Gone but not forgotten: such is the status of two major leaders of the western world, U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
They worked together well, guiding their countries through the minefield of 21st Century global politics, giving support when it was appropriate, and criticism when it was needed. And they reached their lofty positions from "less-than" beginnings: Obama was the first Black American president, Merkel the first former East German to lead the unified Germany.
Claudia Clark tells the story in Dear Barack: The Extraordinary Partnership of Barack Obama and Angela Merkel. We get a sketch in a visit with the author.