Obama’s British ‘Gift Gaffe’ Not Reported By U.S. Media


I know a few other RSers have hit on this, but the Obamas, Barack and Michelle both, pretty much diplomatically botched the recent visit of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife. Oddly enough, the U.S. Old Media seems uninterested in the story that is a hot topic in England, a story that’s left many Brits a bit miffed.

As the visit of the national leader of our closest ally began, the President informed the Brits that he wouldn’t be attending the joint press conference that was planned to be held once PM Brown’s plane touched down. This threw the visiting delegation into a tizzy leaving them scrambling to explain the sudden change in plans to the folks back home. Still, meetings were had and things smoothed out. Eventually the visit seemed to right itself… then came the Obama’s gift gaffes.

It is well understood that visiting diplomatic delegations come bearing gifts and gift giving is returned in like fashion by the host country. It is an ages old human practice in diplomacy after all. Usually the gifts are valuable, representative of the products of the nations involved, or at least symbolic of the history of those nations.

For his part, PM Brown gave two symbolic gifts and one that expressed national pride. Brown came bearing a pen holder carved from the timbers of the sister ship of that which gave the wood to create the famous “Resolute Desk,” the desk that has been in America’s charge since 1880. He also gave Obama the framed commission for that famous ship, the HMS Resolute. His third gift was a seven-volume biography of one of England’s greatest leaders, Winston Churchill.

So, what did President Obama give the British PM? 25 movies on DVD. Yeah, that’s it. Brown gives a symbolic gift like the pen holder fashioned from a famous British warship and Obama responds by sending a staffer to WalMart to pick up a few quick movies.

How thoughtful. Or not.

And I’m not the only one to scoff at this thoughtless gift. The entire British press is up in arms. Many in Britain are seeing this as entirely gauche and indicative of the low esteem in which the Obama’s hold England.

Worse, no one is 100% sure that Obama was smart enough to know that DVDs made in America don’t play on European DVD players. American DVDs are created in the “Region One” format while those in Europe play in “Region Two” format. A U.S. DVD just won’t play on a machine made for the English market.

Not to be out done in tastelessness by her husband, Michelle got into the act, too. Mrs. Brown came bearing two outfits for the Obama girls from Topshop, one of Britain’s trendiest and expensive women’s wear retail outlets.

In return, Michelle apparently had a staffer run down to the White House gift shop and grab two toy Marine One helicopter models for the Brown’s boys.

Class all the way, huh?

All of this is on top of the snub of the Brits that Obama tossed off immediately upon entering office. One of his first official acts was to summarily return to the Brits the generous gift of the most famous bust of Winston Churchill that has sat in the Oval Office since the attacks on 9/11.

This threw British diplomats into a tizzy really blindsiding them. Even when they reiterated that Obama could keep the generous gift to the American people, he rejected it without comment leaving the Brits at a loss for words.

Now, I thought that Obama was going to improve our relations with “the world” once he took office? So far, all he’s done is tell our enemies he’s their friend and carelessly wave off our actual friends.

And, as I mentioned at the top, the U.S. Old Media has been ignoring this story.

Imagine that?

(Photo credit: Jeff Moore/telegraph.co.uk)


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Classless

Wing Zero (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 5:42AM EST (link)

What happened to “Smart Power?”

Oh wait. I forgot who we elected….

1-21-09 – We are so screwed… Wait… maybe not just yet.

 

Classless

Wing Zero (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 5:42AM EST (link)

What happened to “Smart Power?”

Oh wait. I forgot who we elected….

1-21-09 – We are so screwed… Wait… maybe not just yet.

 

If the MSM critcizes Obama, they de facto criticize themselves...

smagar (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 7:19AM EST (link)

for Obama is their creation.

Remember the female reporters on Obama’s campaign plane squealing like girls at a Beatles concert, when a Secret Service agent blocked their view of The One?

“You’re KILLING us here! EEEEEEE! (Swoon)

OK, I made up the last part. But, what’s scary is…that last part COULD have been true, giving the media who enabled…er, followed Obama.

“Who will stand/On either hand/And guard this bridge with me?” (Macaulay)

 

Gifts from the White House gift shop....?

NeoKong (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 7:24AM EST (link)

Oh man.That’s tacky.

Follow me on Twitter.

that's funny...

speciallist (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 11:38AM EST (link)

I wonder if they threw in some Sour Gummy Bears…

did they gift wrap or did they leave the stuff in the white plastic bag?

Whitehouse gift shop!…lol….pic later

I heard they threw in some ShamWows.

NeoKong (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:02PM EST (link)

The perfect gift.

Follow me on Twitter.

Hey Tobytoons?...the gifts Barry gives tell alot about him...

speciallist (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:51PM EST (link)

The names are perfect….

the.. Bam Wow
Sham wow
Slam chop
Big city Slider station
Le Presse
Miracle Blade
Nicer Dicer
Grip and Flip
Flat Fold colander
the Bedazzler
Mighty Mend it
My lil Reminder
Bobber with a Brain
Mighty Putty
Spinlash
or the Lifestyle Lift….take yor pick..lol

Bedazzler!!!!

Amy Miller (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 10:39PM EST (link)

As in…he BEDAZZLES the competition, the Congress, AND the diplomats with sculpted pecs and a winning smile!!!!

~puke~

“I’m a conservative, I’m a textualist, I’m an originalist, but I’m not a nut.”
~Scalia, J.

 
 
 

what happened to thank you

mom2oneson (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:08PM EST (link)

and having the girls mail him a thank you card. He was giving a gift to the her daughters, she wasn’t under some kind of obligation to give him something back. Men enjoy giving women and girls pretty things. Her thank you an smile would have been enough.
It wasn’t a Christmas party where her uncle’s girlfriend gets her something and she isn’t prepared so she runs upstairs and wraps a unused candle on her dresser.

 
 
 

The Obamas are like school on Saturday...

tankertodd (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 10:15AM EST (link)

NO CLASS.

(This joke is the most memorable takeaway of mine from the Fat Albert Show. Thank you Bill Cosby.)

This all goes against the narrative. Obama was supposed to heal wounds, not create them.

I’m also floored that the movies would be in NTSC format (North American). Unbelievable stupidity. Unfortunately this is also American by and large. We’re generally clueless about foreign countries, since we frankly don’t need to be aware of others. Our country is large enough. But Obama is supposed to have SMART people around. He’s supposed to be smart himself, right?

———————————
The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race – Chief Justice Roberts

 

What a dork obama is.

bobojake (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 11:22AM EST (link)

“Thats’ All Folks” can’t come soon enough for this man on a rampage. Make sure you are calling your Senators and Congressman every day letting know we don’t need obama elcrapo mudden up our friends. Senator hate their phone ringing so it ring, ring ring as they are the only ones that can stick a pitch fork in obama baloon right now but katie bar the door in 2010.

 

The Brits deserve the snub...

harlan Sunday, March 8th at 11:45AM EST (link)

…for sticking their noses into our election (along with the rest of Europe).

(falsetto euro-voice) Oooh, obama…he’s sooo the One! He’s sooo european! You Americans are sooo racist if you don’t elect him for us!

Maybe after he's done screwing up America...

Next93 (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:53PM EST (link)

Maybe once he’s finished screwing up America, he can go to Europe, where they can make him the Furher, er, Duce, no, er, Generalisimo, umm, Emperor, no, ummm Commisar…aw heck, they can make him the cheif exective of the EU.

Afer all, Europes is where great political ideas are BORN, right?

Obama was The One in 2008.
He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012.

Europe is where great ideas are born.

mbecker908 (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:58PM EST (link)

And for the last hundred years or so it’s taken American blood to put an end to them.

One of the great mysteries of our time

Next93 (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:21PM EST (link)

For some bizare reason, our willingness to fix Europe’s mistakes with our blood and treasure makes them morally superior to us, according to the Europeans and our own intelligencia.

The fact that I don’t see it that way is, according to my uber-liberal brother, due to my ignorance; it takes YEARS of the right kind of study to appreciate the sophistry needed to arrive at this sort of conclusion.

Obama was The One in 2008.
He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012.

 
 

Your wish may not be far-fetched.

Rod_Patrick (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:02PM EST (link)

After POTUS,

…. the Leader of WORLD GOVERNMENT is next.

COMING SOON!

that is so scary nt

mom2oneson (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:43PM EST (link)
 

That is exactly what happens

mom2oneson (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:42PM EST (link)

With people that do a horrible job but admin refuse to fire them, they give them a “promotion” to some made up position that doesn’t involve any decision making over other people.

 
 
 

C'mon, be fair to Obama...

furious (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 11:47AM EST (link)

…haven’t you ever been so busy on a business trip that the only chance to buy gifts for your girls was at the airport gift shop? You know, the hermit crab with the paste-on googly-eyes?

And — the President and his staff are so consumed with neutralizing Rush Limbaugh, Rick Santelli and Jim Cramer that protocol has had to take a back seat for the moment.

“The DOW bottoms out when Obama Loses His Job”

–furious

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” — Darth Vader

 

At Least One Aspect of the Transition is...

furious (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 11:51AM EST (link)

…going well:

That from apologizing for the Bush Administration’s purported gaffes to apologizing for its own. Shortly they should all be Obama’s.

–furious

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” — Darth Vader

 

It's amateur hour at the White House

lonebeagle Sunday, March 8th at 12:04PM EST (link)

I said after “The One” was elected that when he got to the White House he wouldn’t even be able to find the men’s room.

He’s doing WORSE than I ever expected. He’s just insulted an entire nation of an important ally and he’s literally trashed our economy.

He hasn’t even been in office for 6 months.

We’re screwed…..

 

I've had a lot of trouble trying to defend...

Amy Miller (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:26PM EST (link)

…Britain’s horrified response to all of this. I for one was embarrassed, not to be an American, but to be associated with that level of social retardation.

Yes, I said it…the administration is SOCIALLY RETARDED.

It seems to me like more a more, people are justifying this sort of white trash snobbery with this sort of, “Well, who the hell is HE and why should we treat him special just because he’s some leader of a foreign country!” attitude…and I for one hate it. I don’t care if it’s the Prince of Darkness himself, Vladimir freakin’ Putin, coming to the White House; people in positions of leadership and power deserve at least a reasonable amount of respect, if only for the sake of appearances. They do NOT deserve to be shuffled through hodgepodge press conferences and photo ops before being deposited back at Andrew’s AFB with a complimentary DVD boxed set and a few cheap plastic helicopters.

This doesn’t make us look thrifty, or whimsical, or modern…it makes us look like raging seventh-grade douchebags.

“I’m a conservative, I’m a textualist, I’m an originalist, but I’m not a nut.”
~Scalia, J.

Would anyone care to take a wager

David Hinz (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:45PM EST (link)

Would anyone care to wager whether the Obama Administration extends the same piss-poor diplomatic protocol to a visit from, say, Hugo Chavez?

My guess will be, State Dinner, complete with Presidential Bl**job!

And, if anyone on the Right points out the difference, the answer will be that the Administration has learned from past mistakes and moved on.

Ready to meet with Iran and Cuba but not Limbaugh! - nt

Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:52PM EST (link)

Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson

 

Think they'll pull Monica Lewinsky out of retirement for that?

Next93 (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:56PM EST (link)

Or maybe they’ll just have Keith Olberman take care of it?

Obama was The One in 2008.
He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012.

Forget Monica and Olbermann, I hear Sean Penn

janis (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:21PM EST (link)

has this one in the bag—so to speak.

Does this constitute Milk-ing a gag?

Next93 (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:23PM EST (link)

n/t

Obama was The One in 2008.
He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012.

 
 
 

I was thinking this exact same thing

Amy Miller (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 3:13PM EST (link)

and I pretty much have decided that Chavez is going to get a damn parade.

“I’m a conservative, I’m a textualist, I’m an originalist, but I’m not a nut.”
~Scalia, J.

 
 
 

I'm reminded of a comment from a US Secretary of State

David Hinz (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:39PM EST (link)

A US Secretary of State once famously said, “The office of President of the United States does not lend itself to on-the-job training.”

 

The level of inexperience

red4ever (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 12:43PM EST (link)

is inexecusable. It is starting to remind me of the Clinton Administration where I swear the aides were running through the halls saying “Look Ma, I am running with scissors.” It’s all so childish. Perhaps if he had spent more than 10 minutes in any job in government, he would have a clue how governing really works.

Besides, the gift gaffes, the lack of coverage in the MSM brings down our respect worldwide. No matter what, the world could count on our free press. Now, they see our MSM as just more propaganda from a campaign.

Maybe Bush could have been more diplomatic (that is a big maybe), but at least the other nations knew he would back up what he said. He also treated his allies right and enemies badly, AND KNEW THE BLOODY DIFFERENCE between the two. Obama fails at diplomacy, is seen as a pushover through the world, ticks off our allies and kisses up to our enemies.

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.
Dante

Count on a war within the next 4 years

Next93 (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:02PM EST (link)

If Obama’s weakness and ignorance doesn’t cause a war before he’s out of office, he’ll find a way to start one once the public realizes how much he’s emaciated the country, in order to regain his “credibility” on national defense.

Either way, it’s going to be a disaster, because we’ll be starting from a position of weakness with a gutted military.

Apparently, Joe Biden is smarter than I gave him credit for!

Obama was The One in 2008.
He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012.

Next 93, I'm pretty sure your last sentence is one of the signs of the Apocalypse.

janis (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:26PM EST (link)

Particularly if it is followed by AlGore showing up at a global warming event that is NOT inundated with 6 inches of snow and sub-par temps.

In all fairness

Next93 (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:31PM EST (link)

In all fairness, it would be hard for Biden to NOT be smarter than I gave him credit for, as long as he isn’t in a persistent vegative state.

(like, say Louisianna, which is vegatative year-round)

Obama was The One in 2008.
He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012.

 
 

On the other hand...

Next93 (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:27PM EST (link)

I’m going to pull a Kowalski and comment on my own comment.

Assuming Obama doesn’t start world war III like the last under-experienced “visionary” president nearly did, his inexperience coupled with the overweening egos of Pelosi and Reed (and Obama himself) are probably the only hope we have that he won’t be able to completely implement his own Chavez-style socialist revolution.

Obama was The One in 2008.
He’ll be a BIGGER one in 2012.

Who would Obama start a war with, Next 93?

janis (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:43PM EST (link)

He’s signaling to all of our enemies that he’d rather talk than fight. So, other than Great Britain and Israel, who would he choose to offend enough to fight with? I sound like I’m kidding, but I’m not–what scenario would it take to make Obama declare war?

Obama won't declare war

red4ever (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:50PM EST (link)

he thinks talking to everyone will make all the problems go away.

World War III will start because one of those being talked to, figures out how weak we are and attacks. Then we will be forced to defend ourselves. Just like against Al Qaeda when Osama Bin Laden declared war against the US in 1995. Just like when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The Zimmerman telegram in World War I was real. Fortunately, then we stood up for ourselves and didn’t wait for the attack.

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.
Dante

I really wonder what Obama would do if the Chinese decided to clamp down on Taiwan.

janis (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:59PM EST (link)

Would he allow the US to come to the defense of Taiwan as our signed treaties demand we do? There’s already been a lot of speculation about what Obama would do in support of Israel should she be under attack directly by another nation like Iran. I have no great faith that he would come to the aid of either of those entities.

Anyone?

Seriously though, I think libs like Bill and Hillary, Kerry and Obama

Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 2:02PM EST (link)

not only invite aggression with their public weakness and so increase the liklihood of war, they also increase the liklihood of being forced to use nukes as they appease and appease until the only options left are mass destruction.

I think Bush deserves a lot of credit by his aproach in Iraq in which the war was stretched out with lower casualties.

Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson

Don't have a problem with anything you say here, GC.

janis (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 2:12PM EST (link)

Like you, I too think George W. Bush deserves a great deal of credit for his handling of the Iraq War and the comparatively low number of casualties.

Do you truly think that someone like Obama would use a nuke?

yes, I think that eventually the survival instinct would kick in - nt

Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 2:35PM EST (link)

Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson

 
 
 
 
 

Maybe the British

izoneguy (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:52PM EST (link)

can invade us and save us from Obama.

But I think the Mexican invasion is continuing and

will probably be the biggest threat we face.

¿Hablas español

The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.

we wouldn't be that lucky re British nt

mom2oneson (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 2:15PM EST (link)
 

Maybe another 911 or 11/2010? After all, just a feww months after 911

Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 2:00PM EST (link)

Democrats declared war on Bush and America. Maybe when the GOP makes huge gains in the 2010 elections, Obama will declare war on the Axis of Evil:

Fox News Channel, Talk Radio and bitter clingers to people not like him, God and guns

Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson

Guess that's the answer to my question above--he'd nuke Rush. n/t

janis (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 2:14PM EST (link)
 
 
 

you give the man too much credit

David Hinz (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 6:02PM EST (link)

He will not start a war within his tenure as President. If this country is attacked, he will bring the full force of law to bear — bringing legal charges against the perpetrator, and probably lobbing a coupe cruise missiles or predator drones at some innocent bystanders.

No, if there is actual war, it will fall upon some future President to undue the damage this President has wrought.

And, of course, it will all be THAT President’s fault.

even if Hawaii or and Lower 48 are attacked he will call it a law enforcement problem?-nt

Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 6:05PM EST (link)

Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson

 
 
 
 

I wonder

paulincolo (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 1:12PM EST (link)

if one of the DVDs was The Manchurian Candidate.

“Six pints of bitter,” said Ford Prefect to the barman of the Horse and Groom. “And quickly please, the world’s about to end.”
– The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

 

The Media Is Slitting Their Own Throats With Moves Like This

IJB Sunday, March 8th at 2:36PM EST (link)

I mean, yeah, sure, they’re already pretty much dead anyway.

But if they’re not going to report *anything* meaningful, anyone who’s not a mouth-breathing fan of Olbermann and Krugman is going to start getting their news & info elsewhere – e.g. FNC and the internet (i.e. places like RedState).

Basically, moves like this don’t work – the story still gets out, despite the media, and all they do is further destroy what little credibility they have left.

For all their bluster, it’s pretty clear than the media really isn’t all that interested in staying in business.

Oh well – too bad, so sad…

 

The next US president will also

izoneguy (Diary) Sunday, March 8th at 3:05PM EST (link)

have to “fix” this Obama screw-up…..

is this the left’s answer to “fixing” the alledged screw-ups of Bush?

The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.