Obamarx Strikes out on Diplomatic Etiquette with British Prime Minister Brown

[Sgt Schultz]

From "The Political Class"

1. Obama sends the bust of Winston Churchill back to England.
2. Obama fails to invite Brown to dinner at the White House.
3. In exchange for a very well thought out gift form Brown our president gives [re-gifts] him his some left over Christmas gifts.
Obama's blockbuster gift for Brown to reaffirm the 'special relationship': 25 DVDs
He had put clearly great thought into giving the U.S. President lavish gifts to signify Britain's 'special relationship' with the U.S.

During his historic trip to Washington, Gordon Brown gave Barack Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet - once called HMS President.

The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet's sister ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that already takes place in the Oval Office in the White House, after being presented by Britain to the US in 1880.

The Prime Minister went to the trouble of hunting down the perfect gift after becoming the first European leader invited to the White House by the new Commander In Chief.

So it would be perfectly understandable if Mr Brown felt a little underwhelmed at the official gift he received in return.

For despite being leader of the world's most bountiful nation, President Obama handed over nothing more thought-provoking than 25 classic American films on DVD.

It was the equivalent of receiving a pair of socks from an unfamiliar aunt at Christmas - and a less-than-glowing affirmation of the UK-US bond.

[FORD]

Damn, the Repukes are really desperate if this is all they can find to bitch about.

At least Obama's not embarrassing himself (and us) by groping foreign heads of state...



....or puking on them.

[LoungeMachine]

Or invading and occupying countries who posed no threat....

Or rendering/torturing people.....

Or shredding The Constitution.......

Keep it coming, Schultzy!!!!!

[sadaist]

Damn, the Repukes are really desperate if this is all they can find to bitch about.

At least Obama's not embarrassing himself (and us)....

Yeah, we should concentrate on his pretzel eating & bike riding skills.:tongue0011:

[sadaist]

Speaking of pretzels, those big warm & soft ones from the mall dipped in nacho cheese fucking KICK ASS!

[Seshmeister]

25 DVDs as a gift though is pretty fucking poor.

Did he send someone out to the local Walmart at the last minute?

[Sgt Schultz]

Stay Classy Obamas!!

First Lady Michelle Obama shows even she has a gift for the gaffe

link



It was all going so well. The dresses, the brains, the Vogue cover shoot – everything so far about Michelle Obama has left us wide-mouthed in admiration. It seemed there was no end to her fabulousness. Then Mr and Mrs Brown came to stay.

Like all good guests, Sarah Brown arrived bearing gifts for the children, Malia and Sasha. And they were really nice presents. A bit of thought had clearly gone into choosing them: Top Shop dresses (with matching necklaces) and a selection of books by British authors. Lovely.

Mrs Brown may have two boys but she certainly knows the way to a little girl’s heart. These were gifts chosen in the true spirit of present-giving: to please the recipient, not the giver.

In return Mrs Obama gave the Brown children, Fraser and John, two toy models of Marine One, the Presidential helicopter. Fair enough on the helicopter part, always a popular choice with small boys; but Marine One? It’s not as though anyone needs reminding that Barack Obama is President or that he has his own helicopter. Short of giving the boys Action Man models of her own husband smiting the evil forces of neoconservatism, Mrs Obama’s gesture could not have been more solipsistic or more inherently dismissive of Mrs Brown.

Not only did she demonstrate that she spent approximately three seconds contemplating the needs of the Brown boys (having an aide pop to the White House gift shop for a piece of merchandising does not imply a great deal of thought), she appeared to show a most uncharacteristic lapse of judgment.

It might have been possible to overlook the incident were it not for the official photograph.

The White House released one picture of the two women and it does not appear to have been selected with any kind of special relationship in mind. There is a menacing bunch of pink peonies in the foreground and the angle is most unflattering to Mrs Brown, who has the air of a woman very much in need of a stiff drink.

Whether deliberate or not, the whole thing feels like a snub.

As for Fraser and John, their parents’ trip to America will always be remembered as the time that “Mum and Dad went to see the President, and all we got was this lousy plastic helicopter”.

[Seshmeister]

Right that's fucking it, bring out the launch codes.

Time to find out if the US really does have a secret defense to the Trident nukes they sold us...

[Nickdfresh]

Who gives a fuck about the British?

[sadaist]

Who gives a fuck about the British?

Old metal acts that can't get a gig in the States.

[Angel]

For despite being leader of the world's most bountiful nation,

[Andy Taylor]

I'm sure the writer would cry your pardon, after all, every sane person knows Canada has it all. That's why you hear of 'Canadian culture' all the time.

[Angel]

Tansi

We have the best banking system in the world... which is why I have to laugh at the "prosperous" nation shit. Oh yeah, you guys are really prosperous, aren't you? I think it's sickening what has happened to your country over the last 8 years, don't you???

You don't live in Canada - why the fuck would you know or hear anything about Canadian Culture - unless you went out of your way to learn about it.

As for culture, ALL countries have culture, after all, culture is simply a "product of a country's history and geography". I'm not a fan of Wikipedia, but I'll use it in this case: "Being a settler nation, Canada has been shaped by waves of migration that have combined to form a unique blend of customs, cuisine, and traditions that have marked the socio-cultural development of the nation."

Bilingualism and multiculturalism - Canadian
Aboriginal influences - i.e. Inukshuk, dream catchers, tansi, ay-hay, mother earth, kookum.

Canada's cultural diversity also creates an environment much more accepting of LGBT people than one finds in the United States or most other countries.[10] Canada has always placed emphasis on equality and inclusiveness for all people. For example, in 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Egan v. Canada that sexual orientation should be "read in" to Section Fifteen of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a part of the Constitution of Canada guaranteeing equal rights to all Canadians. Following a series of decisions by provincial courts and the Supreme Court of Canada, on July 20, 2005, Bill C-38 received Royal Assent, legalizing same-sex marriage in Canada. Canada thus became the fourth country to officially sanction same-sex marriage worldwide, after The Netherlands, Belgium, and Spain. Furthermore, by 2005, sexual orientation was included as a protected status in the human rights laws of the federal government and of all provinces and territories.

Multiculturalism, officially endorsed in Section Twenty-seven of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, has a large influence on Canadian culture and the nation's perception of itself."

mah-ti and ay-hay to you, sir.

Now - go feast on bannock and poutine, and oh yeah, kiss my royal hiney while you're at it!

Bon Soir (tabernaque estee)

[Andy Taylor]

Blah de blah. Multiculturalism = having people of diverse cultures occupying the same geographical space. Related terms: political correctness.

And yes that's the thing, you don't hear of Canadian culture outside of it. So it has no impact outside Canada, not much anyhow.

[LoungeMachine]

Can I tell my yogurt joke now?