Our friends hate us too...thanks Barry!

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-12-2009
Our friends hate us too...thanks Barry!
452
Mon, 03-09-2009 - 6:05pm

London aghast at President Obama over gifts given to Prime Minister Brown

BY David Saltonstall
Daily News Senior Correspondent

Updated Saturday, March 7th 2009, 2:03 AM

You'd think President Obama had booted the Brits out of America — again!

London newspapers are howling over a string of alleged snubs by Obama to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown during his visit to Washington last week — including a squabble over presidential gift-giving.

"President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain," sniffed The Daily Telegraph Friday. "His handling of the visit of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Washington was appalling."

The list of complaints is longer than the Magna Carta: Obama canceled a planned, podium-to-podium news conference with Brown (actually, none was ever scheduled); he recently removed a bust of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill from the Oval Office; and he gave gifts to the Brown family that were "about as exciting as a pair of socks," one Fleet Street wag whined.

That last bit might be true. After Brown presented Obama with a pen holder crafted from the timbers of the 19th century British warship HMS President (whose sister ship, HMS Resolute, provided the wood for the Oval Office's desk), Obama offered up ... 25 DVDs of American movie classics.

"Oh, give me strength," wrote one appalled Daily Telegraph staffer. "We do have television and DVD stores on this side of the Atlantic."

Never mind that Brown is blind in one eye and may have a hard time seeing the stars in "2001: A Space Odyssey," or that American DVDs are usually incompatible with British players.

Equally insulting, decided the Times of London, was Michelle Obama's "solipsistic" and "inherently dismissive" gifts to the Browns' two little boys, Fraser and John.

The offending souvenirs? Toy models of Marine One, the President's helicopter — gifts no doubt plucked from the White House gift shop at the last minute, The Times decided.

Brown's wife, Sarah, by contrast arrived with dresses for Sasha and Malia from the UK's trendy Top Shop (with matching necklaces) and a selection of books by British authors.

"A bit of thought had clearly gone into choosing them," crowed The Daily Mail. "Lovely."

The Brits have blown up the alleged snubs into new evidence that the "special relationship" between the two nations is no longer quite so special.

The hand-wringing began last month when Obama removed a bust of Churchill from the Oval Office and replaced it with his hero, Abraham Lincoln.

The Times of London immediately traced Obama's "disdain" for Churchill to Kenya, where Obama's grandfather was caught up in the Churchill-led suppression of the 1950s Mau Mau Rebellion that left thousands of Kenyans dead.

"It's not surprising that Mr. Obama didn't want Churchill looking over his shoulder," explained one correspondent.

At this point, the two sides seem to be in full repair mode. The White House let it be known that Obama and Brown shared a chummy phone call as the prime minister was headed home.

And Friday, it was revealed that Obama would be granted a private audience with Queen Elizabeth when he is in London next month.

Quipped one reader of The Sun, "I hope Her Majesty likes DVDs."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2009/03/06/2009-03-06_london_aghast_at_president_obama_over_gi.html

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-05-2008
Mon, 03-16-2009 - 11:08am

<>


And how was Iraq the enemy?

 

 

Guild Member since 2009

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2009
Mon, 03-16-2009 - 12:32pm

Yeah, I guess I encountered one or two of those right here. I really should pay closer attention and not reply in all sincerety.


In all sincerety, it seems you reply selectively, which is your right.

moonbat_pride1-1.png small picture by skwhitney1966 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-12-2009
Mon, 03-16-2009 - 12:50pm

>>> Yea, is that kinda like the endorsement of single-motherhood was labeled "liberal."

Correctly labeled as liberal.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-24-2009
Mon, 03-16-2009 - 1:29pm

Yea, riiigt.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-28-2009
Mon, 03-16-2009 - 2:31pm

Then why is the divorce and teen pregnancy rates so much higher in the red states?

Avatar for claddagh49
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-20-2004
Mon, 03-16-2009 - 4:12pm
It's those wonderful "family values"
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-04-2009
Tue, 03-17-2009 - 1:53am

>>>>> And how was Iraq the enemy?


How was Iraq NOT an enemy? Maybe you should reread this subthread, and tell us how Iraq was a "friend" post GW1.

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-04-2009
Tue, 03-17-2009 - 2:21am

it seems you reply selectively, which is your right


Thank you for allowing me to respond to posters (that aren't on ignore) when it suits me.


In post 185, I

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-12-2009
Tue, 03-17-2009 - 3:55am
I think the point was to produce the "incredibly compelling" evidence that refuted the CIA/Bush's beliefs that Iraq possessed WMDs and that those unsecured WMDs presented an imminent threat...as perceived by the Bush administration, the Congress, the UN and our allies?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2009
Tue, 03-17-2009 - 8:16am

I read all that, but you won't debate your reasoning for your "stance."

moonbat_pride1-1.png small picture by skwhitney1966 

 

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