Ballmer's 'charm offensive'

The New York Times describes Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's visit Tuesday with EU antitrust chief Neelie Kroes:

Mr. Ballmer requested the meeting on short notice, and Ms. Kroes invited him to her office on the 10th floor of the curved glass and steel Berlaymont Building, headquarters of the European Commission, where they talked for around an hour Tuesday night, one of these people [close to Microsoft] said. "It was a courtesy visit; he had never met her before."

Officially, Microsoft described the meeting as "part of an ongoing dialogue between the company and the European Commission." To people at the commission, there was no question Mr. Ballmer's hastily arranged visit was a charm offensive -- and one that fell flat.