Not if you believe we are better off out, they don't!There seems no doubt that Cameron has asked Obama for his help but the American position on this is surely genuine. I read the words of the US ambassador over the weekend: "Every time I talk about this I will made people unhappy... but I can't say nothing. From our perspective we know that the UK makes every organisation it's part of better and stronger: the UN Security Council, Nato, many more. And one of the few organisations the UK is a member of but we're not is the EU. We need more bridges, more connections... Of course it's up to you. And of course we care. We have no stronger ally. It's your decision. But we keep saying in a respectful way, yes, we want a strong UK in a strong EU."
There's no attempt to bully or hector here. And there's no attempt to pretend that the US doesn't have a strong self-interest at stake. But perhaps, on this occasion, the self-interests of the two old allies coincide.