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The Not-So-Special Relationship: Why Obama Snubbed Gordon Brown
The prime minister clearly needed the president more than the president needed him.
The exchange of gifts seemed to say it all: for Barack Obama, an ornamental pen holder carved from the timbers of the HMS Gannet, a British naval vessel that took part in the battle to end the slave trade; for Gordon Brown, a box set of classic American movies on DVD.
Personally, I’m a big fan of giving DVD box sets as presents. Not only are they cheap, but they look impressive on a bookshelf and can be handily purchased at short notice, due to the fact that they’re piled high in stores that can’t get rid of them. In other words, they’re the perfect last-minute gift for someone you can’t be bothered to expend much time, money or effort on.
Maybe it was laziness on the part of the White House, or maybe it simply reflects the fact the Obama belongs to a generation that attaches more historical and emotional significance to movies than to antiques, however symbolic. Nonetheless, the British press, eager to latch on to any evidence of Obama delivering a “snub” to Brown, was suitably miffed.
Neither Downing Street nor the White House has confirmed which movies were in the collection, but it’s thought to include The Grapes of Wrath, the movie of John Steinbeck’s Great Depression novel. Commentators have drawn obvious parallels between that movie and the current economic climate, but those looking for allegorical rather than literal associations might find another film said to be on the list more interesting: Sunset Boulevard, the story of a faded star hooking up with a younger man in the hopes of resurrecting her career.
Because lame ducks don’t come much lamer than Gordon Brown. In fact he probably wouldn’t be prime minister today were it not for the economic crisis, which broke just as disaffected acolytes were maneuvering to get rid of him. Brown seized the moment, declaring that only he could save Britain, Europe, and indeed the world. He was certainly familiar with the causes of the crisis: having served as chancellor of the exchequer (the British equivalent of treasury secretary) for more than a decade, he was largely responsible for creating the economic conditions that ensured Britain was among the countries worst hit by the downturn.
Like a bolt of lightening animating Frankenstein’s monster, the credit crisis revived the corpse of Brown’s premiership (unfortunately for Brown there’s also more than a passing physical resemblance between the monster and the minister). Labor missed its chance to get a new leader, and now Brown is set to lurch all the way to an election he can’t win. Many would like to see the back of him sooner rather than later, but it’s more likely that he’ll cling on until the latest possible date — summer 2010 — in the hope that something turns up.
So in a desperate bid to generate some favorable headlines, Brown pretty much threw himself at Obama. Watching Brown with the president was like watching a young man on a first date with a girl who’s far clever, funnier, and more attractive than him, knowing he’s out of his league but still trying to impress. Brown leaned eagerly towards Obama, but Obama maintained a detached air. Brown called Obama “Barack”; Obama called Brown “prime minister.”
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Mike McNally blogs at Monkey Tennis Centre.
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86 Comments
1. David W. Lincoln:Lets keep in mind that Michelle Obama views white Englishmen as being tainted because White Englishmen were involved in the slave trade. She doesn’t want to face the nuance that William Wilberforce was white, and that he was instrumental in the ending of the slave trade in the British Empire.
In other words, she sees only those things which she wants to see.
Selective vision = political correctness = cultural stuntedness
Mar 7, 2009 - 10:22 am 2. AThinkingPerson:The place to get a better perspective on the Brown snub is to read about it in the British press. PM Brown is not a popular figure in the UK but the Brits are PISSED about the obvious snub of their PM over here. Their adoration of our President Teleprompter is ebbing. Funny how it’s happening on both sides of the pond.
Mar 7, 2009 - 10:34 am 3. Ziv Zulander:I hold nothing but contempt for Obama. This was so unprofessional it was beyond the pall. THIS(!) low class circus side show is what we get for the first Black President? I’m embarrassed for my country and my people.
Mar 7, 2009 - 10:51 am 4. carol:This is no surprise. Obama sent the British back the statue of Winston Churchill. He is a completely arrogant selfish human being. and I use the term human being lightly. I think he is a drone or a robot or something really scary. It is how he acts. And a man who cannot answer any questions or talk to the public without the teleprompter is completely not capable of running this country. There is some massive dishonest deception going on here. He is trying to make friends with our enemies, and snubbing our allies. This should scare everyone.
Mar 7, 2009 - 11:15 am 5. John Schuh:A classy put down of both gloom and glitz.
Mar 7, 2009 - 11:16 am 6. Blackwater:I don’t know where you get off saying Obama is good looking. He’s uglier than sin and has a wirey frail body frame. And he doesn’t have a lot of charisma either in my opinion. The guy oozes slimeball. The real reason Obama treated Brown like crap is because his grandfather was imprisoned by British soldiers decades ago. He’s anti-British. I don’t know why you’d ignore that obvious reality.
Mar 7, 2009 - 11:27 am 7. Andrew X:I see Obama is gearing up to go to Turkey, and the wags are already coming up with gift ideas to match the DVD’s ($39.99 at Amazon.com!) and the Russian button that said “overcharge” or “banana patch” or “My hovercraft is full of eels” or whatever instead of “reset”.
And I’m thinking: remember all those people, including the Stewart, Leno, Letterman’s, etc worried because it was “virtually impossible to make jokes about His O-ness?” And now, look at these gifts! TELL ME if this were GWB the late nighters wouldn’t be on it for a week straight, Letterman would squeeze at least three top ten lists out of it, that SNL would have a whole skit about it, and thus the entire country would be talking, laughing, and most importantly, branding George W. Bush with it, thus causing college kids to go into embarrasing on-camera orgasms when presented with his successor.
Has anyone seen any kind of response by the all important jokesters? (That question is not me being sarcastic, by the way) Maybe they are mentioning it, I am not a late night TV denizen.
But if not, we see in the negative how it works… how the media elites got The One in office, how they relentlessly set out to destroy his predecessor without a hint of fairness or good-faith as satirists, the whole smack.
This gift thing is in fact hilarious (in a horribly destructive sort of way). But I guess it’s still just not possible to make jokes about Mr. Obama. Afer all…. “what decent person would ever want to hear such a thing?”
Mar 7, 2009 - 11:28 am 8. Marc Malone:Now really, did anyone expect anything else? Pubs did tell the public that Obama is a complete ingenue when it comes to foreign affairs.
Mar 7, 2009 - 11:29 am 9. Wolla Dalbo:What else should we have expected from this low class clown? This “international man of mystery” about whom we really know very little, except that his only major “executive experience,” four years as the Director of the Annenberg Challenge of Chicago, during which he directed the expenditure of over $100 million dollars to improve Chicago’s wretched school system–all channeled to far left advocacy groups and groups espousing black identity politics–was declared by all concerned, as well as outside experts, to be a total failure and waste of money; during the campaign, for some strange reason, Obama never wanted to talk about this “executive experience,” or to really own up to the fact that he even worked for the Challenge.
The description, “bull in a china shop” doesn’t even begin to cover it. An inept, supercilious would be Machiavelli–using the tactics of “community organizing” he was taught by Marxist Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” by stoking panic with his hyping of “disaster” and “calamity” so a panicked citizenry would allow him to “save them” and overlook–in their panic–his and the Democrat’s attempts to ram through enormous spending and taxation legislation to radically remake America into a Socialist country; an attempt that will just make a recession become a Depression.
He attempts to appoint a whole shabby roster of tax cheats to oversee the economy and the tax system.
Meanwhile, on the international front, Obama very deliberately and gravely insults the English PM, Hillary. our Secretary of State, presents the Russian PM with a emblematic electronic control button supposedly to represent the Obama Administration’s attempts to “reset” America’s relationship with Russia, except the button is labeled not “reset” but “over charge,” Obama appoints a pro-Saudi and pro-PRC, anti-Israel ideologue–and not too bright a one at that–to a key intelligence post, and appears to be on a course to perhaps fatally disrupt the few alliances we have left, while pandering to every enemy we have on the planet.
In Medieval times the classic scam was for a city slicker to sell a rube from the country a “pig in a poke,” a supposed suckling pig in a sack (poke) while convincing the rube somehow not to immediately open the poke and check out the pig. Later, on the way back to the farm, when the rube opened the sack, he would discover that a rat, or more likely a kitten, was in the bag thus, “letting the cat out of the bag” and when the cat escaped, “being left holding the bag.”
Well, I would say that the cat is out of the bag and, yes, we are all being left holding the bag, indeed.
Mar 7, 2009 - 11:48 am 10. Paul Wilson:It becomes evident each day that he is arrogant, ignorant of foreign policy, contemptuous of protocol and to me totally unlikable. I say Impeach now to save our country before it gets to the point of “Get a rope”. It seems liken they are attempting to push us to the point of a revolution. It is very scary.
Mar 7, 2009 - 12:01 pm 11. Meryl:The remarkable (and apparently endless) public exposure of his incompetence isn’t going to change anything, I would guess.
Even if he is photographed peeing on White House Garden roses, that exposure won’t change anything if he doesn’t care about being further publicly exposed as a sham and fraud. That’s why the word “shameless” is occasionally useful.
All of this begins to give us the deadly measure of the man.
From another poster on another thread, which I think nails it:
“For the first time in my adult life, I’m ashamed of my country.”
Now there’s a bumper sticker.
Mar 7, 2009 - 12:05 pm 12. Marie Claude:just a question, if it was Sarkosy in place of G. Brown, I imagine the sarcasms !!!
Mar 7, 2009 - 12:32 pm 13. Wolla Dalbo:P.S.–I forgot to mention Obama’s attempts to decisively influence future elections by taking direct control of the Census, whose results are used to apportion congressional districts, and are used as benchmarks for all sorts of other federal programs as well.
Now why would any President–especially as one of the first acts of his new administration in the midst of a “disaster”–want to take control of the Census? Well, if Obama was thinking way ahead, planning so that he and the Democrats could stay in power indefinitely, and trying to set things up so that he could craft a party like Mexico’s “Permanent Revolutionary Party,” which stayed in power for 70 years, the ability to gerrymander congressional districts to his advantage could be decisive.
Another piece of the puzzle on our “Road to Serfdom” is the fact that the tax changes contained in the Obama tax legislation would increase the percentage of those who pay no taxes from the current 38% to 50%. Can you imagine anyone who is getting a free ride not voting for their benefactor, so that ride can continue? Obama also talks a lot about “service” and being a “volunteer.” In fact, Obama, in a speech a few months ago devoted to “Service,” inserted a startling and bizarre proposal into his prepared remarks in which Obama called for the creation of a “Civilian National Security Force,” one as large and as well funded as our present military.
Can you imagine, say, many thousands of grateful non-taxpayers enrolling in such a “Civilian National Security Force,” to do their bit “volunteering” and making sure that no disruption of their benefactor Obama’s plans and their tax free life occurs?
Can you say mobs, police state, tyranny and dictatorship?
Mar 7, 2009 - 12:34 pm 14. RE:Be prepared for many more embarrassments and outrages from Obama.
It’s what a great many of our countrymen enthusiastically voted for. A great many in the rest of the world also clamored for this empty-suit loser. They’re just getting what they asked for.
Hopefully America will able to recover from this buffoon, but that’s not certain. The MTV generation that got him elected may be permanently damaged and incapable of learning anything from their reckless folly, reverting to their standard blame shifting instead.
Mar 7, 2009 - 12:55 pm 15. Blackwell:How embarrassing. I know Obama has a lot on his plate, but that was the British PM for goodness sake. You know–the people whose PM was here in 24 hours after 9-11? The ones with armed troops in Afghanistan and Iraq? Its not like Obama picks out the gifts: the White House protocol office has dozens of hacks to pick out gifts, plan dinners etc. Snubbing the British was inexcuseable.
Mar 7, 2009 - 1:15 pm 16. sule:Impeachment is a good idea for this arrogant boastful megalomaniac, but that would only infuriate the goons with the batons, boots and camoflague for failing to worship at the altar of “The One We’ve Been Waiting For”…
Mar 7, 2009 - 1:17 pm 17. Evil Pundit:Part of Obama’s arrogance may stem from a narcissistic personality disorder.
Mar 7, 2009 - 1:28 pm 18. Dougf:Obama was as, others have related both classless and clueless, here. It matters not at all that the object of his self-indulgent disregard was Gordon Brown. The President when greeting visitors is expected to behave as if he had at least a modicum of grace. The visitor’s needs and intentions are almost completely irrelevant. If you invite someone as a guest then treat him as a guest. Obama worships Obama. Everyone else is merely a prop in his personal play.
This ‘gift’ episode is just Obama being Obama.
Mar 7, 2009 - 1:45 pm 19. RE:It seems more than appropriate to revive the old Clinton-era mantra ‘Character Counts!’.
Apparently even Bill Clinton can teach Obama a lot about character and basic decency. Color me surprised I find myself saying that.
Mar 7, 2009 - 1:45 pm 20. Libertyship46:Well, that’s just great. Our fearless leader, President Obama, has no problems wanting to “have a dialogue” with some of the worst scum on this planet, such as the Iranians, the Syrians, or the North Koreans, but he has absolutely no interest in actually befriending some of our closest allies, such as Britain or Canada, people who have actually been helping us in Iraq and Afghanistan (the Canadians, especially, have done fine work in Afghanistan, while the French and the Germans have done almost nothing). It just proves that Obama really doesn’t know what he’s doing when it comes to foreign policy. That fact coupled with his horrific economic policy will spell doom for this country.
Mar 7, 2009 - 1:58 pm 21. LeighB:Oh, those Brits are so sensitive, objecting to The One giving videos to a guy with failing eyesight…I hope he takes turkey leftover recipes with him to Turkey or at least a case of Stove Top stuffing…
(sarcasm off)
Mar 7, 2009 - 1:59 pm 22. fred:Wolla Dallbo,
If those mobs of the dregs of society join Obama’s new army and try to have a go at us, it will be the last mistake they ever make and he ever makes, because we have the means, skills, and motivation to mow them down. And I’m pretty sure a mutiny in the military will tip the balance overwhelmingly in our favor.
Make no mistake about it. If he arms hordes of citizens to come at us, we will butcher the lot of them. I am not a man who wants to do this sort of thing. In fact, I pray daily that we never come to this, but if they force it on us we will do our duty.
Mar 7, 2009 - 2:13 pm 23. Paul Wilson:fred,
Mar 7, 2009 - 2:27 pm 24. Harsh Reality:I may be old and crippled, but I will stand beside you if it comes to that.
This article strikes me as a subtle attempt to shift blame for Obama’s thoughtlessness to Brown, the recipient of that thoughtlessness.
Nice try, McNally, but the fact remains, this was the President of the United States showing utter indifference to the special relationship. Brown’s less than sterling record as PM is completely irrelevant.
Why can’t I escape Obama’s covert press corps, even here at PJM?
Mar 7, 2009 - 2:27 pm 25. keithacita:obummer
Mar 7, 2009 - 3:08 pm 26. fred:I think the Obamas hate Winston Churchill not just because Great Britain opposed the Communist tribes and coup in Kenya, but because Churchill was a very staunch anti-Communist and opponent of totalitarianism. Not exactly a hero to a Red Diaper Baby.
Paul Wilson @23,
Please, pray with me that civil war never comes to pass, but be resolved to defend liberty, the Constitution, and our country if it comes to that.
My, albeit optimistic (maybe realistic), scenario: these guys mess up and keep on making a mess of it, so they lose a lot of seats in the 2010 election. They may retain their majorities, but very slim ones. Then, in 2012 we make more gains as Obonga is bounced from office. But, I think they know this is going to happen and are hoping that they keep just enough seats in 2012 to have a fillibuster and stop most of the un-doing of Obonga’s work. This is why they are working in overdrive to get all they want now in 2009. I rather suspect that many of these things will not work in an election year (2010).
Mar 7, 2009 - 4:15 pm 27. Tarantula:Obama sux…
Mar 7, 2009 - 4:16 pm 28. Mary Jackson:Gordon Brown is a one-eyed Scottish idiot, who has ruined the economy that he inheritied in pretty good shape from the Tories. People mistake his dullness for profundity. He’s a waste of space, and it isn’t surprising Obama ignored hime.
Mar 7, 2009 - 4:29 pm 29. JL:Why should Britain stay in Afghanistan? And what was the point in backing up the US in Iraq? Apparently there is no reason to show solidarity with the US. It’s clearly not appreciated. Other countries would be wise to get the hell out of dodge too.
Mar 7, 2009 - 4:35 pm 30. Ezbill:Michelle Obamba It was Black men that sold us slave’s why aren’t you blaming them.did they not profit too?
Mar 7, 2009 - 4:58 pm 31. PA Cat:7 Andrew X
Has anyone seen any kind of response by the all important jokesters?
Someone posted the following recent jibes over at Victor Davis Hanson’s blog:
“How many watched the Obama speech on Tuesday night? If you didn’t see it, I’ll give you the short version. We’re completely broke, and deeply in debt, but we’re going to do a bank rescue, universal health care, give everybody a college education, have a bigger war in Afghanistan, cut the deficit in half, and cure cancer. We were this close to universal blow jobs.” –Bill Maher
“If I’d just listened to CNBC I’d have a million dollars today, provided I started with a hundred million dollars.” –Jon Stewart
“Here’s some good news. Barack Obama announced he’s bringing home troops from Iraq. That’s right. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get them direct flights home. They have a two-year layover in Afghanistan.” –Jimmy Fallon
“There was a huge snowstorm in Washington, D.C. In fact, they are calling it the city’s biggest snow job since that stimulus package.” –Jay Leno
“President Obama — talk about a tough gig, and talk about optimism. The guy is saying it’s a good time to buy stocks. So here’s what you do. Instead of that hot chocolate you buy in the morning, pick yourself up a thousand shares of GM.” –David Letterman
Enjoy.
Mar 7, 2009 - 5:35 pm 32. John Glat:Lets look at who Obama is reaching out to
1, Hamas and Hezbollah
2. Iran
3. Taliban (article in tomorrows NYT)
Loos whose reaching out to Obama
1. Hugo Chavez Communist dictator in VZ
2. Communist Party of America
3. Cuba
Look at who Obama is snubbing
1. Israel
Mar 7, 2009 - 5:44 pm 33. Andrew X:2. Great Britian
PA Cat – Enjoyed. I wanna hear the gifts riffed on, as they are just begging for it. But thanks.
Mar 7, 2009 - 6:13 pm 34. fred:Mary Jackson,
I agree with you about Gordon Brown’s political legacy. Nevertheless, I’m embarrassed by Obonga’s shabby treatment of the head of state of an allied nation. No excuse for it. Bush would never do such a thing. Please spread the word far and wide in your nation that we are embarrassed by this. This is not who most Americans really are.
Right now the U.K. is the front line in our efforts to keep Islamic jihad at bay. The CIA is operating in Britain, helping MI5 and MI6 to spy on jihad cells. Britain’s political climate has, in some ways, tied the hands of their intelligence agencies and we’ve been on board (our CIA is not the agency it used to be nor as effective as it had been before the 1978 FISA)to help them track this threat. We are very afraid of British Muslims traveling to our country with foreign passports and setting in motion very bad events over here.
Our government should be more grateful for this alliance and cooperation. Obonga’s going to really make a catastrophic mess of foreign and defense policy. He and his people are already having an adverse effect on the equities’ markets.
Mar 7, 2009 - 6:19 pm 35. rotto:Andrew X – # 7 – I could not have said it any better myself!
Blackwater # 6 – good point about the British imprisonment of BO’s grandfather.
When BO heads to Britain in a few weeks, maybe Gordon Brown can give him a DVD collection in return – let me suggest a couple of movies:
Amistad and Amazing Grace.
Two movies that don’t fit the Rev Write paradigm of all whites being evil (and therefore proving the need to “eliminate” us)
Perhaps someone can suggest a few more?
Mar 7, 2009 - 6:30 pm 36. Tarantula:Mary Jackson…
Mar 7, 2009 - 6:34 pm 37. H5N1:Doesn’t matter. I’m not a Gordon Brown fan, but he is the official representative of the mother country, our strongest ally and best friend. This was an embarrassment…
Mary Jackson, you trite moron, stop trying to be Jeremy Clarkson.
Mar 7, 2009 - 6:49 pm 38. Whitehall:What was this “New New Deal” lead by the UK and the US that Brown announced before his visit? Seems to me that, unless that was coordinated with Obama prior to the speech, Brown spoke out of turn. That was worthy of some dismissal too.
I see a Republican landslide in 2010. Anyone know how many Democratic senate seats are standing for re-election or will be open? Let’s count Arlen Spector’s seat too.
Mar 7, 2009 - 6:50 pm 39. Whitehall:BTW – one of the movies in the DVD set was “Lawrence of Arabia” – British directed, British stars, about a British war hero (of sorts.)
Mar 7, 2009 - 6:51 pm 40. Linguist:“Perhaps Obama resents Brown constantly reminding anyone who’ll listen that the financial crisis started in the U.S., by way of absolving himself of blame.”
No, it would force Obama to own up to the fact that he hasn’t a clue as to how this happened, nor what to do about it.
His treatment of Mr. Brown, regardless what anyone thinks of him, was embarrassing.
Mar 7, 2009 - 7:01 pm 41. glueball:The essay seems to miss the ritual position that is the responsibility of the person holding the office to enact properly. Personal traits and peculiarities are not to be the presiding focus of gift giving between heads of states as long friendly as America and England. I am not a fan of Brown nor Obama, and all you have said of Brown’s misgiving may hold, however, as a first meeting between American and English heads of state (well I know its ‘Brittain’ now but I indulge fonder, more proper, times), the ritual significance cannot be allowed to fall due to personal issues. It was much the same with the booing at OBama’s innauguration. Glad to see BUsh go or not that is not a place where the personality of the individual takes precedence over the ritual of office changing hands. I would love to see Brown snub Obama in return during the G20 meeting, yet Brown is mush too yellow to do that I am certain. I would even more like to see Obama’s face the moment Brown should give Obama a set of DVD’s with Winston Churchill’s speeches! cordeliaforlear.blogspot.com
Mar 7, 2009 - 7:52 pm 42. Andrew X:glue – I was thinking Brown should give him a $50 gift card to Harrod’s.
Your mention of the booing at the inauguration reminds me of the best observation of that made, one that also applies to this situation, I’d say – (hat tip, NRO)
“I guess this is what they mean by a classless society.”
Mar 7, 2009 - 8:08 pm 43. Rob:When will all this insanity end? America should be afraid for its own soul and life.
Mar 7, 2009 - 8:36 pm 44. Sullihan:Won’t Gordon Brown be surprised that one of the 25 “American” films is “Lawrence of Arabia”? Quick, name the three American actors in that film.
Mar 7, 2009 - 9:06 pm 45. ked5:Blackwater,
Mar 7, 2009 - 9:14 pm 46. ked5:when you see pix of bambi and the mrs., do you get the impression she’s the one that wear’s the pants?
Andrew,
yes, the late night folk are starting to make jokes. Leno even refered to the snowjob that was the stimulus.
Mar 7, 2009 - 9:17 pm 47. ked5:Leigh
That is the BEST gift suggestion.
(and my husbands grandfather was an Armenian, born in Turkey – not to mention some other experiences we’ve had with that country. We don’t hold it in high esteem.)
Mar 7, 2009 - 9:22 pm 48. fsteele:What silly snark at Brown. Obama could have no personal motive against him. Certainly nothing worth offending the British press.
Obama is just being incompetent as usual. Didn’t even have the sense to delegate the preparation to someone grown up.
However there was one terrible quote about Obama having a grudge against the British because of his Kenyan grandfather. So much for Obama as a world class peacemaker!
Mar 7, 2009 - 9:35 pm 49. Hyphenated American:Obam would have enough political reasons not to care much about Brown’s visit – after all most of Europe is in shambles, European armies are pathetic (even the British one), and Obama is way too busy turning US into Sweden to care about foreign policy. After all, you cannot see Russia from Chicago – in fact, you can’t see anything from Chicago.
But all in all, Obama behaved like a spoilt son of a powerful dictator – think about Saddam’s son Uday greeting an ambassador from Micronesia. I think we have to get used to this behavior – the hope-n-change has no class….
Mar 7, 2009 - 10:02 pm 50. JackT:Why should we care about our relationship with England, there’s nothing wrong with it, they’re our cousins, we’re stuck with each other forever, Obama knows that, so why break a sweat over it. Most western nations kiss up to us anyway, we’re used to that. There are far too many problems in the world to worry about than whether or not the British feel snubbed. They’ll get over it. Besides, they’re just so happy to get rid of Bush the don’t really give a crap, they know Obama will lead the U.S. in the right direction.
Mar 7, 2009 - 10:34 pm 51. noprisoners:Fred & Paul Wilson:
I’ll share a foxhole with you any day. The idea of American is too valuable to let be destroyed. It must be saved.
Mar 7, 2009 - 11:18 pm 52. Michael Byrns:Imagine a movie about this sleeper agent, born Muslim, changed into Christian, bred to get into politics and later becoming President. His job would be to ultimately bring down the American state, and open it for a take over by Muslim sharia laws in the years to come. Who would he snub, would it not be countries that had defended America after 911 – like Canada & Britain? Who would he want to build up better relations with, Iran, Syria and the countries who are the enemies of mankind?
Mar 8, 2009 - 3:56 am 53. Mary Jackson:stop trying to be Jeremy Clarkson.
Jeremy Clarkson is the voice of reason. Unelected dictator Gordon Brown has done nothing to earn America’s respect (or England’s) and much to forfeit it. He is a one-eyed Scottish idiot.
Mar 8, 2009 - 5:36 am 54. Meryl:43 Rob…in response to your points….
We don’t know.
We are.
Mar 8, 2009 - 5:40 am 55. sule:I have a suspicion that Barry is a puppet planted in the White House too…what is more, I don’t think he knows it…
As for those DVD’s, Barry didn’t realize a U.S. president was supposed to provide some sort of gift to a visiting foreign PM, so he sent staff scrambling through the White House to find something suitable.
Security guards are so unreasonalbe about taking oil paintings off the wall, (take a memo) Rahm broke a staute trying to pry it off its base, and that Churchill thingy was already gone… (Blast those pillaging Clinton’s and their sticky fingers!)
Someone yelled, “The Plane!” and sent them all rushing out to AirForce One. Fishing through the seatbacks scored a pile of greasy DVDs and torn comic books…no problem, a little packaging tape, a quick swipe with a dust cloth, and VIOLA! a gift for the Prime Minister!
The comic books will go to the next foreign dignitary, probably the Queen.
Aren’t we all now, for the first time in our adult lives, proud of our country?
Mar 8, 2009 - 5:50 am 56. 888:Well, what did you really expect from someone who has no class, is an arrogant elistist and who steps on people and lies and changes historical facts to get ahead and to get votes?
Brown will get the last laugh. Obama is a disgrace to this country and to NATO.
Mar 8, 2009 - 6:57 am 57. JD:If he does not value the US-UK relationship now, President Obama will soon learn to. In terms of diplomacy and publicity, PM Brown’s trip was a nightmare from start to finish. Not what he wanted to strengthen his hand back in the UK.
And the White House has nothing to offer but juvenile explanations:
http://trackacrat.com/2009/03/07/the-dog-ate-my-homework/
Mar 8, 2009 - 7:11 am 58. sheltiemom:Why, everybody knows that snubbing is what Obama does best(remember the primaries?) – a clear indicator of his hyperarrogance. One can only hope that the American and foreign publics get wise to this guy sooner rather than later. Can you just imagine what Sharpton, et al., will bray all over the media if Obama is the one ever (deservedly) snubbed by somebody with the chops to do it.
Mar 8, 2009 - 8:15 am 59. Brown gravy:Good article. Brown is a clown; we in Britain know that, but we also know he’s our clown and deserved a little better – especially from a fellow wannabe socialist. I know it would have pumped up Gordon the Glum’s ego to be accorded a more dignified reception in Washington, but he must feel even more desperate now. No one in the UK thinks he’s any good and apparently things don’t look too cleaver for him stateside any more.
You wouldn’t treat a dog like that.
We used to call Blair the Rt Hon. Member for North Texas but I think, when his Downing Street days are over, Brown will not be as welcome on the US dinner party circuit as his former boss appears to be.
On the other hand, a lot of us here are much cheered by the fact that clearly the fraternity of nation-damaging socialism isn’t enough on its own. Any remaining ideas over here that the US got the right man for the job in Obama are taking another hefty knock.
But then maybe Brown should have converted to Islam before appearing. His government are keen we should have a lot of muslims here and Brown would have been accorded a much better welcome if he bowed to Mecca more than he does now.
Mar 8, 2009 - 8:26 am 60. Peter Gee:35. rotto:
“Blackwater # 6 – good point about the British imprisonment of BO’s grandfather.”
I live in Kenya and know a lot about the history of the Mau Mau. There is zero evidence beyond family statements ( the same Kenya family that also claims Obama was born in Kenya) that Obama’s grandfather, a Luo not in any way allied to the kikuyu tribe that led the Mau Mau, was imprisoned or tortured by the British.
If we believe his extended and uncontrolled African family who are everything from illegal immigrants (his aunt) to pot heads ( his half brother) then let’s also accept his Kenyan grandma’s word that he was born in Kenya – thus disqualified to be President.
Anyone who has lived amongst polygamous extended families from Mormons to Africans knows the truth is exceptionally elusive in many cases.
Mar 8, 2009 - 4:44 pm 61. Larry J:Once again America has seen fit to put children in charge of the country. Once again someone is going to have to follow this disaster of a president and clean up the mess he makes. Tell me now, who honestly believed Obama was qualified or experienced enough to be president and what were you smoking at the time? Must’ve been some really good stuff.
Mar 8, 2009 - 5:07 pm 62. NewHavenette:This is an honest question: When a terror group is lying fallow for years, but has not been totally destroyed … does that group feel empowered when the President of the US displays utter contempt for the country that is the historical enemy of that group? In other words, when the UK awards a knightship to Ted Kennedy (an afront) and then Obama “disses” Brown and, by extension, the UK and Brits—do these actions create a favorable environment for the re-emergence of the IRA?
Mar 8, 2009 - 8:16 pm 63. The Historian:And could this be a foreshadowing of the unintended consequences of Obama’s ENTIRE foreign policy strategy. Just wondering.
PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP VOID
Obama trying to play the role of a leader. He is failing spectacularly.
http://greensrealworld.blogspot.com/2009/03/nation-without-leader.html
Mar 8, 2009 - 9:20 pm 64. RobertG:The Obamas-Chicago, Reverend Wright-Chicago, Calypso Louis Farrakhan -Chicago, Bobby Rush-Chicago and founding member of the Black Panthers; Black Supremacists all as stated in President Barack Hussein Obama’s book Dreams From My Father:A Story of Race and Inheritance
“”I ceased to advertise my mother’s race at the age of 12 or 13 when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites. I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother’s race.”"
The NAZIs held a sense of grievance and animosity against the Jew, Slavic Peoples and Czechs-we see where that went. The Ottomans held a sense of grievance and animosity against the Armenians-we see where that went.
The popular media, the Socially Aware and Politically Correct will and do tell us only the white man and Jew, sometimes the Japanese and Chinese, are capable of racism. The popular media, the Socially Aware and Politically Correct are in for a terrible shock when the New Order turns on them, as it always does.
And when the Jew Senator Charles Schumer-NY, the Jew Senator Diane Feinstein-California, The Jew Joe Liberman-La La Land, The Jew Senator Barbara Boxer-California, The Jew Mayor Michael Bloomberg-NYC, The Japanese American Senator Daniel Inouye-Hawaii and the Japanese American Congressmen Daniel Akaka-Hawaii talk of reasonable gun control they are taking part in genocide against their own families.
I would imagine all these people believe that by going along they can get along. Not just the Jew, Japanese and Chinese are building their own gallows and death camps: Before Hitler moved against the Jews, Communist, Republicans and such and before Stalin moved against the Kulaks, the Tartars and later the Jews these tyrants purged their own allies of anyone COULD later pose a threat. Some think Maximilien Robespierre was their model, other point to Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great.
But the New Order always turns on it’s own and always has. Don’t feel safe by thinking Obama is a buffoon-the British Foreign Office and the American State Department both thought Hitler a fool who could not last long-he lasted long enough.
The Buffoon Hitler ruled Germany 12 years
Noble Julius Caesar was Emperor of Rome but for for 2
The Clown Papa Doc François Duvalier ruled Haiti for 14 years
Clownish Benito Mussolini ruled 21 years
But they all killed their own.
So yes I guess President Obama and Bitter Michelle Obama snubbed the Prime Minister. But WE are the real targets of the New Order-right after his allies admit their Counter Revolutionary Thought Crimes. Stalin’s Purges lasted from 1929 to 1953.
Are we going to vote President Obama and Bitter Michelle Obama and their Congress out of office? Not if his proposed Civilian Security Services won’t let us we won’t.
Guns and Ammo–buy them while we can.
Mar 8, 2009 - 9:43 pm 65. WALLY LIND:Obama is a rookie, that’s why he did it. He doesn’t yet know his butt from a hole in the ground, as far as being president. He still has Carter-itis, he has to learn to leave the office, and let his people handle it.
Mar 8, 2009 - 10:01 pm 66. njcommuter:There’s another consideration. For eight years, Bush had to fight the careerists in the State Department to get anything done. Most of them are either Clintonista’s or committed Leftists. But if The One and The One Wife continue their oblivious, trailer-trash ways, a few of them may just decide to treasure the day they once again have a President who can tell a diplomatic burro from a burrow.
Mar 8, 2009 - 11:51 pm 67. quasar:Fear of the British Press corp is what had to have BHO’s onions stuck in his throat. Unlike our MSM, Brit scibes do not have to fear ostracision for asking “touchy” questions such as: What passport did you travel to Pakistan with when you were a student, British or Indonesian? Since British citizenship was conveyed to you by your Kenyan father, have you renounced you citizenship? Mr. President, why are sooo secretive about your past? BHO must live in contast fear of someone stepping up and asking one of these “touchy” questions.
Mar 9, 2009 - 3:24 am 68. BlackKnight:A big problem with Obama’s Gift is: The United States uses a TV System called NTSC, England uses a system called PAL-B and they are not compatible. US DVDs are also country coded Region 1 and UK uses Region Code 3…. so the gift although ‘personal’ is totally technologically incompatable… a really dumb gift from the Representative of the United States to the Head of the British government.
We are allies, not just “budds” … a immature gift at best.
Mar 9, 2009 - 3:45 am 69. D. Grant Chee----:Who among citizens does not feel trepidation at the sight of Obama, at the helm of the ship of state, as he steers her, broadside, into the path of the tempest? Have the children elected a child to oppress? Has he appointed women to rule us; and do our elected lead us from our paths? Tha mind is a turruble thing! Captain
Mar 9, 2009 - 6:43 am 70. Ursa Major:Oba appears to be on a course not in America’s interest. Pray, prepare and pay attention!
Thanks, BlackKnight, for stating what everyone else in the MSM has missed. But putting aside the cheesiness of the gift for the moment, it is possible, but not probable, that the Protocol Officer knew this and somehow managed to order the UK versions of the DVDs.
Does anyone know who is in charge of Protocol these days?
Mar 9, 2009 - 6:50 am 71. Roy:I’m surprised he didn’t give him a gift subscription to the ACORN newsletter, to go along with the DVD’s.
I was a supporter of Jimmy Carter, until I endured the following four pain filled years of his presidency. This administration, with help from a democratic controlled congress, is going to disastrous.
Mar 9, 2009 - 9:50 am 72. Steve in Gosport:It gets worse. American NTSC Format DVDs can’t even be shown on the British PAL Machines.
Mar 9, 2009 - 2:01 pm 73. bre:Didn’t Obama’s research team tell him ?
I was embarassed about the Russia/Hillary thing! It was like a college level skit or a business idea. It’s too informal for Heads of State and then to get it the word wrong. It feels like being the laughing stock of the world! I feel for Hillary too because under Clinton it was still more mature. I fear that the Obama’s are living in a glass bubble while the rest of us are not! Unfortunately in the circle of life, something is going to happen to wake them up from their fairy tale and join the rest of US……
May the Luck of the Irish be with all of us working Americans this March and may we all find a pot of gold under the rainbow…..
Mar 9, 2009 - 7:07 pm 74. kmk818:Let us hope Her Majesty will repay the snub as only the Queen of England can…
Mar 9, 2009 - 7:48 pm 75. JD:It gets worse.
President Obama is now hosting Martin McGuinness, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and former head of the terrorist IRA.
And is treating him with far greater respect than he did the British Prime Minister.
Compare and contrast:
http://trackacrat.com/2009/03/10/criminals-are-human-too/
Mar 10, 2009 - 4:53 am 76. Cybergeezer:So; Who is John Glat?Any relation to John Galt?
Mar 10, 2009 - 6:17 am 77. Jeff K:The answer to the article title is blatantly obvious; Obama is a boy in a man’s job, and he also has NO CLASS; They don’t teach that at Hahvahd anyway. And all the money and power in Washington can’t get him any.
There is a chink in his armor with this occurrence; Where was the diplomatic support? That would be worthy of some tasty news!
I learned about the extent of the snub on Glen Beck yesterday and followed his advice in sending the British embassy in Washington a letter of apology. I highly suggest everyone do the same. If a thousand letters show up at the British Embassy in Washington apologizing for our inept leader that would do damage to the anointed ones image in the US and England
(You can find the address here http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en keep the letters professional and sorry they don’t do email)
The worst of all to me is Obama gave back a bust of Winston Churchill, given to us by Tony Blair after 9/11/01. This was a special gift by our closest ally a one of the darkest hours of our history. It’s unacceptable that he’s given it back. I requested a picture of it for myself as a message to anyone listening that actions of Obama are not representative of me and of at least 50% of the country, I suspect more.
What we do here is good. But if we are to “Stop the Change” we must send our voices outside of this forum in a thousand different ways, a thousand different times until the we’ve eroded his popularity numbers and in doing so his political effectiveness. Don’t miss this opportunity to hurt Obama in two countries.
Mar 10, 2009 - 6:29 am 78. Tristan Yates:Excellent read. I don’t know what Brown was expecting. Obama is a political machine with only one setting: Self-absorbed ruthless self-advancement.
Mar 10, 2009 - 9:37 am 79. Alice:The UK tortured Obama’s Grandpappy (Churchill was PM when that happened). With that in consideration I think his response to the UK was most restrained.
It’s not like he declared war on the UK like his predecessor did on a country who had tried to hurt his father. The UK actually DID hurt Obama’s Grandfather. Therefore there is more justification for Obama to go to war with Britain than there ever was for Bush to go to war with Iraq.
Mar 10, 2009 - 6:39 pm 80. Jim Baker:If Barack Obama really is as dumb as he has appeared to me to be in his first 50 days, you can safely bet that he won’t be around for fifty months. I just can’t make this stuff up. This man, and his whole staff, are the clueless demogogue puppets of the Labor Unions and the Gang Green. For the life of me, I can’t see what those two groups ever had in common.
Mar 10, 2009 - 8:45 pm 81. Marc Malone:By the way, Alice, Saddam Hussein tried to KILL George Bush’s father, a former President of the United States who committed the crime of preventing him from invading another country. Obama’s response to the UK Prime Minister, who was in no way connected to anything that was done to Grandpa, was just stupid. That aside, I don’t concede your assertion that what you described was the reason for the actions of either of our Presidents.
Is it true what someone posted on another thread; that Brown is nearly blind? That makes the gift even worse.
The main thing is that Heads of State do not give each other cheap gifts. They give each other gifts of historical significance, like a bust of Churchill or the Statue of Liberty.
Mar 11, 2009 - 12:55 am 82. Jeff K:Poor Alice there are so many holes in your theory it’s not worth the time to debunk…Let’s just say that Bush was constantly criticized for his diplomatic efforts, or lack of…Obama’s actions, on this issue, made the US appear arrogant and thoughtless. Not the kind of diplomacy I would have expected from someone who campaigned to repairs our relations around the world.
81. Marc I heard he was blind in one eye.
Mar 11, 2009 - 9:34 am 83. The Shadow:what nonsense!
Mar 11, 2009 - 9:43 am 84. deguello:MARC MALONE81,TRISTAN 82, Jeff,79ALICE: I See, so Gordon Brown is responsible for what the english did before he was born? Oh I see, this is a variant of the collective guilt -so- give us more welfare argument. Maybe if Brown had given the O’Hole a welfare check,he would have received him with the appropriate courtesy.LIBTARD:THY NAME IS ALICE!BTW: should declare war on germany, because,70 yeras ago they did bad things to us? What a cretin!
Mar 11, 2009 - 9:53 am 85. Yee-abba-dabba-doooooooo:Word has it that the ambassador (can’t recall which) had purchased the dvd set for his twin boys and was present when it was realised noone had remembered to buy a pressie for Brown. It seems Brown was pretty gracious in receipt, saying: First you give us our Churchill head back, now we get twenty-five old films on dvd, ambassador you are really spoiling us.
Mar 18, 2009 - 5:36 am 86. lelomiReisp:Hi guys.
Nov 9, 2009 - 12:37 amMy computer worked not correctly, too much mistakes and buggs. Help me, please to fix buggs on my computer.
I used Windows XP.
Thx,
lelomiReisp