Smooth Moves

Shortly after taking office in January, President Obama did something that angered a few folks on both sides of the "pond". He gave back to Britain a bust of Winston Churchill that had been given to former President Bush shortly after the events of 9-11. Now since the bust was officially on "loan" to us from the British Museum, I don't have that much of an issue with what he did. I mean if he was not going to display it in the White House (and I can understand why he would not given his grandfathers fate in the Mau Mau Rebellion) then I think it was wise to return it to the museum so that they can...but that's just me.

However, the actions of the Obama Administration during Prime Minister Gordon Brown's recent visit are most troubling. First, the president discarded protocol and precident by cancelling the traditional joint press conference with the PM. Worse still was that the Obama Administration did not have the manners to tell the PM this until the night before the press conference had been scheduled to take place! Second - there was no formal White House "reception" for PM and Mrs. Brown. Given that the Obama's have had plenty of time to entertain friends (and friendly Congress folk) on waygu beef and a Stevie Wonder concerts, that is a little less easily forgiven. Lastly, were the traditional gifts from world leader to world leader. Prime Minister Brown brought...

Brown, the first European leader to visit Obama since his Jan. 20 inauguration, will give him a first edition of Martin Gilbert’s seven-volume biography of Winston Churchill, whose World War Two partnership with Franklin Roosevelt epitomized the Anglo-American alliance.
The second gift will be a framed commissioning paper for HMS Resolute, a Royal Navy ship that became icebound in the Arctic in the early 1850s while searching in vain for British explorer John Franklin’s lost expedition that had been seeking a Northwest Passage to Asia.

An American whaler later found Resolute and it was freed from the ice and returned to Queen Victoria in 1856. In 1880, the British goverment, as a gesture of thanks, presented President Rutherford B. Hayes with a desk made from timbers of the ship, and ever since it has been used in the Oval Office by most presidents, including Obama...
At their White House talks on Tuesday, Brown also planned to give Obama a pen holder fashioned from the timber of HMS Gannet, a sister ship of the Resolute that also served for a time on anti-slavery missions off Africa.

President Obama's gift to the PM...

Barack Obama, the leader of the world's richest country, gave the Prime Minister a box set of 25 classic American films - a gift about as exciting as a pair of socks.

PM Brown is blind in one eye and American DVD's don't work in British DVD players (hmmm I didn't know that until this happened)) so the gift is not likely to get used.

The Obama's generosity didn't stop with the Prime Minister....

In addition, Mr Brown and his wife showered gifts on the Obama children giving Sasha and Malia an outfit each from Topshop and six children's books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America.
In return, the Obamas gave the Browns two models of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, to take home to sons Fraser and John.

This sent tongues wagging in Britian. Many were not amused.

We get the point, sunshine: we're just one of many allies and you want fancy new friends. Well, the next time you need something doing, something which impinges on your national security, then try calling the French, or the Japanese, or best of all the Germans. The French will be able to offer you first rate support from their catering corps but beyond that you'll be on your own.

After the fact the Obama Administration realized their error - but the excuses that they gave have got to be just as painful as the actual snub itself (H/T: HA).....

Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been "overwhelmed" by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.

President Obama knew what he was in for when he ran for President. He knew it was a 24/7/365 job. It should not be surprising that the President of the United States of America has to handle MULTIPLE crises at once. If President Obama is so "overwhelmed" by the job that is facing him today, then maybe he should just resign so that we can get someone who can handle the job in the office.