Remember back just a few short years ago. The left was lambasting the loss of US prestige in the view of the world as a whole from then president Bush's foreign diplomacy. We were ignoring our friends and allies, not treating them like true friends. Flash forward to 2009. A new administration. A new, friendlier approach, right? Some may say so. I disagree.
Great Britain, is perhaps the greatest ally of the US in the last 100 years. Their soldiers, sailors, and airman have fought and died along side their US counterparts in every war since World War I and continue to do so. Recently, the British Prime Minister came to the US. He gave exquisite gifts to the new American president in a gesture of friendship and the US/UK's special relationship. The gifts included:
-an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet, an obvious gesture of respect for President Obama's heritage.
-a framed commission for HMS Resolute and a first edition of the seven-volume biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.
-for the Obama children, an outfit each from Topshop and six children's books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America.
So how did President Obama give his respect for our greatest ally, here it is:
- 25 movie DVDs (possibly not the correct region to play properly in the UK)
- for Prime Minister Browns two sons, two models of the presidents helicopter from the White House gift shop.
President Bush may have did some things wrong, but he never embarrassed our allies, especially our closest allies, in protocol. I'm embarrassed for President Obama, and the US in this small, but important gesture of friendship. Is it a sample of what we can expect in the future. Like leaving our Polish and Czech allies out of the loop, while making back-door negotiation overtures with Russia? Or is it just an other embarrassing gaff like presenting and "over-charge" button to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
President Obama had no foreign diplomacy experience when he was elected and it shows. This is what can be expected when the voter supports on the job training. Lets hope nothing serious comes up in the near future.
Ouch.
Obama isn't the descendant of slaves. Just a point of clarification.
In fact, he IS the descendant of slave OWNERS.
"Obama's ancestors on his white mother's side appear to have been slave owners. William Reitwiesner, an amateur genealogical researcher, has published a history of Obama's mother's family and discovered that her ancestors have a distinctly shadowy past.
Reitwiesner traced Obama's great-great-great-great-grandfather, George Washington Overall, and found that he owned two slaves in Kentucky: a 15-year-old girl and a 25-year-old man. He also found out that Obama's great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Duvall, also owned a pair of slaves listed in an 1850 census record. They were a 60-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman. In fact, the Duvalls were a wealthy family whose members were descended from a major landowner, Maureen Duvall, whose estate owned at least 18 slaves in the 17th century."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/mar/04/uselections2008.barackobama
But, I get the gist and I agree 100%. Might as well of thrown down some tv dinners and a bottle of $5 wine
I fully agree Tova, but he does compare his relatively light experiences with the average black American. So in that respect I believe the gift given to him by Gordon Brown was a significant gesture to what Obama represents to many Americans, even those ignorant of the presidents lineage. Obama uses that to his advantage among certain groups of his supporters, and doesn't go out of his way to set the record straight.
The European slave traders didn't go into the jungles to capture slaves, other blacks did, for money. But that's not the PC thing to discuss, and is frequently overlooked in the revisionist history.
And he did throw grandma under the bus during the campaign, didn't that absolve him from his white past?
To be honest, I doubt Bush or Obama had much to do with the gifts selected. So blaming or praising either one of them is really pointless.
In terms of the gifts, the pen sound great and books nice, Topshop... not a fan.
As for what the US gave, I'd think the helicopter's success really depends on how much the boys like helicopters. I don't particularly care where it came from. The DVDs seem pretty lame. However, most Brits I know own region free DVD players. That doesn't mean the movies aren't lame though.
I can't wait to see what he brings to one of our lesser allies. VHS porn and a couple of snack bags of Cheetos for the kids?
I disagree. While I do think that some staff make suggestions on this matter, I think the president does have final say in the matter. Bush gave Brown a leather aviators flight jacket, which probably was not something the PM would wear, but because the president attached a lot of his personal pride of being an aviator into it. He probably thought the PM would think it was cool, and it would have been, had the PM been a pilot.
I was present at Bush 41's address to the nation on his 100th day in office. He was presented with an aviators jacket, and was noticeably delighted, having been a pilot in WWII. I'm sure his son thought such a gift was appropriate. At least you can't go into any old store and pick up the genuine article, like you could with DVDs.
The Obama's demonstrated their BYOB Chicago style. When they realized that Brown brought gifts, they had someone run out to Wal-mart and the WH gift shop. He should have at least give him an Obama coin and plate, because that's his interest, himself.
You are of course free to feel that it's the thought that matters. I'm sure many will. To me it was a thoughtless snub at our best ally.
I'm sure he's saving the silver tea service and ginsu knife set as a gift for when he meets the Iranians.
Of course, the DVDs (and it would be interesting to see what movies they were) were probably given because one of the Obama's fav past time is to get together and watch movies, a past time they share with friends. Hmmm.....I guess that's too strange a thing to do? What a rotten gift idea, movies? Much like someone whould give music cds' or games because it is something they love to do...very strange!
As for the helicopters, who knows, some boys do like to play with helicopters, as Momijiki said. Some people even have collectors items, like say, cars, dolls, helicopters from the Whitehouse?....much like Bush gave a thoughtful Leather Bomber Jacket....his interest, nothing wrong with that too!
FYI Nitro. 25 movies prepared by the American Film Institute. The titles include Citizen Kane, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Graduate, The Godfather and Casablanca. The latter two are listed as favourite films of Obama on his Facebook page.
The movies Obama reportedly presented to Brown are:
1. Citizen Kane2. The Godfather3. Casablanca4. Raging Bull5. Singing In The Rain6. Gone With The Wind7. Lawrence Of Arabia8. Schindler's List9. Vertigo10. The Wizard Of Oz11. City Lights12. The Searchers13. Star Wars: Episode IV14. Psycho15. 2001: A Space Odyssey16. Sunset Boulevard17. The Graduate18. The General19. On The Waterfront20. It's A Wonderful Life21. Chinatown22. Some Like It Hot23. The Grapes Of Wrath24. ET: The Extra Terrestrial25. To Kill A Mockingbird
http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a149013/obama-gives-brown-25-classic-us-films.html
The list of DVDs was in the article I linked to. Now I'm not saying these aren't some great movies, but let's face it, many of them could be had for $3.99 out of the Wal-mart DVD bargain bin. All I'm saying is isn't our relationship with England deserving of more? Even Obama claimed he would repair relations with the world after Bush trashed them. Had he not said that himself, it would not be (as much of) an issue. Be cheap at the office Christmas party gift exchange, but not with the one nation that consistently bleeds with you on practically every international issue.
Here's the thing, seriously this time. Movies would be a cool gift to give in the right circumstance. It is clear that Brown gave great thought to his gift selection for Obama. I'm not sure you could say the same thing for Obama's gifts.
FS, when you sent gifts to my children, it didn't matter much what was in the box. It was the idea that you went to the trouble and expense to send it to me. It could have been VHS porn and Cheetos. That gift would have left me questioning your judgment but it would have been warmly received. It wasn't the gift. It was the thought.
Obama had time to plan an appropriate gift but it doesn't look like he placed the same importance to the gift as Brown did. It feels like you getting your husband that new toy he wants for Christmas but would never buy for himself and he buys you a set of new pots and a blender. The gifts he got you were nice but lacked the 'thought that counts'.
Update: Today 3-20-09
Special Report with Bret Baer reported that when Gordon Brown attempted to watch one of the DVDs, he received an "incorrect" region error message. Brown was reported to say, "It;s the thought that counts".
Obama and his Central Committee (thanks, ParaTed) are too self-absorbed to notice or care about such things.
Very true. This did not receive much notice by most of the MSM. More important things like bowling scores and victory gardens are getting the front page treatment.
I thought the whole story should be included here on JU, someone may need some retrospect in years to come.
April 1 and Obama is in Europe for the G20 meetings. So what gift does he bring for the Queen? A personalized I-pod. Now the soon to be eighty-three year old queen can play her thrash-metal on an MP3, instead of her old gramophone. Maybe he should have got her a Wei or Play Station, as the president apparently thinks products made in Japan, scream America. Well, I hope she has the means to recharge it.
It's even better than you think.
Loved the comments of the posters there! Recommended reading for our liberal friends.
DVDs..... and everyone thought that Bush was the redneck.
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