On US radio’s Garrison show today, I was asked for my reaction as a true born Englishman to President Obama’s double insult – first the sending back of the Winston Churchill bust, then his snub to Gordon Brown. “Tough one. Really tough one,” I said, torn – as most of surely are – between delight at seeing Brown roundly humiliated, and dismay at having the special relationship so peremptorily, cruelly and bafflingly ruptured.
Iain Martin is quite right here: no matter how utterly rubbish we have become as a nation in the Blair/Brown years, Britain’s friendship is something Obama will come to regret having dispensed with so lightly. This was not the act of a global statesman, but of a hormonal teenager dismissing her bestest of best BFs for no other reason than that she felt like it and she can, so there.
What was the guy thinking? In researching my new book Welcome to Obamaland, I discovered that Obama’s judgment is pretty dreadful – but this? My favourite theory so far – suggested by presenter Greg Garrison – was that it was a move calculated to please his Lady Macbeth. At the moment in Britain, we’re still in the “Doesn’t she look fabulous in a designer frock” stage of understanding of Michelle Obama. Gradually, though, we’ll begin to realise that she is every bit the terrifying executive’s wife that Hillary Clinton was. Or, shudder, Cherie Blair.
We may just LURVE Michelle’s fashion sense. But Michelle doesn’t reciprocate our affection, one bit. Her broad-brush view of history associates Brits with the wicked white global hegemony responsible for the slave trade.
Found by Joe Carlson.
Considering how easy it is to “snub” the thin-skinned British, I’m not sure any theory about this is needed.
[Comment deleted – Violation of Posting Guidelines. – ed.]
Hmmm…. http://guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/apr/18/gordonbrown.foreignpolicy
it seems Brown snubbed Obama before that. Perhaps Obama has a long memory.
Why is it “the Obama camp?” Would it have been Bush snubs… if he was still in office? Do we all know that without any experience, everything has to be group decision.
With all due respect, didn’t the Big O choose a mate whose views mirrored his own? (Nevermind the other one in his memoir before Michelle.) This is the same guy who said his grandmother “was a typical white woman”, who’s shown (despite his amiability) his own grievance view of the world. As for Brown’s aspirations for a Global New Deal, etc. etc…hmm. I might be tempted to avoid him for a spell but an outright snub was not the best answer.
As John said in NA, we did kinda kick them the fuck out way back when.
Screw the red coats!
In all seriousness, Brown just comes across as a retard.
It might be — if Obama had any sense — that he’s offending their pride to get them to stand up and stop being the lapdog of the U.S. Have some dignity! Do we need pasty-faced UK PMs coming over here to boost their poll numbers and fool redneck congressmen into thinking they are eloquent because they have a British accent? No, cripes, no. Do we need to keep tickling the tit of the “special relationship”? No, again; cripes, no. That special relationship is one built on the lies of inherited colonialism — we had to take over for the Brits when they shot their imperial load — and on secrets (secret defense technologies, secret intelligence sharing, etc.) And has been said on No Agenda and elsewhere, the UK is now like a little laboratory in which to test new rights abuses and surveillance technologies. The UK ought to grow a pair.
I think that people in both the US and UK have more pressing matters to be concerned about, namely, Great Depression 2. Frankly, I don’t think that either Brown or Obama are serious about stemming the collapse and may in fact be relishing this in order to grab more powers.
Obama is just pissed off at having been one-upped by Brown. The messiah’s plan to rescue the country pales in comparison to a plan to save the world.
Excuse me, but WHAT snub???
Evil has a new name…Michelle Obama
She is the Antichrist.
Where’s Fusion? He’s such an Obama apologist, I’d thought he would have been here already.
More detail on the snub? “They sent back a bust of Winston Churchill.”==why? Then what was the snub of Brown?==I guess Obama did not meet personally with him?
but they did have a gift exchange and Obama made a personal phone call to him. I assume Brown knew Obama would not be able to meet with him or something came up?
Anyway, I’d have to think about snubbing someone who came here to bestow honorary Knighthood, this ain’t the middle ages==no matter how old our Government Leadership is.
This is one of the most retarded pieces I have read in a long time. This is the equal of any drivel any American right wing nut could come up with.
Better yet, allow me to correct my self, this equals the most retarded thing Boss Limpdick, Micheal Savage, Bill Kristol, Bill O’Reilly, Ann Colture or any of the other wing nut leadership could have come up with if they all sat down together, dropped acid, and decided to write a story.
The bust was a loan, not a gift. Loaners don’t belong to you. I realize the right wing nuts are used to having their way and taking what they want. In the real world though, loans are supposed to be repaid.
Then why would the American President want a bust of Winston Churchill sitting in the Oval Office? Can’t he decorate his office as HE sees fit?
Then we get to the attack on Michelle Obama. Ya, right. She is now “Lady Macbeth”. Somehow though, attacking America’s First Lady is NOT an attack on America while returned a loaned bust is an attack on Britain.
Geeze the right wing nuts are dopey.
You have to remember these are state gifts. I forget the latest values, but the President is not allowed the keep gifts valued over about $200 from a foreign source. He would have to purchase the items from the government at fair market value.
It’s a new and very busy Administration. Perhaps they didn’t delve into gift etiquette that much.
Given his heritage it’s not surprising that he’s no anglophile. It may be time to back off a bit from European ties.
#15–Fusion==right you are. I forgot all about the right wing hate america majority of the Repuglican party’s readiness to spew and skew.
Given that, #16–RTaylor==is on to something I think. There should be a difference between middle of the road white consciousness and middle of the road black consciousness. We all know Obama has traveled and knows Africa. It makes “sense” that reasonable black culture would not be as “comfortable” with our English Cousins as we whites are. So, yea==there is a “whole rest of the world” outside of 4-5 countries of “Old Europe.”
My eyes are open. A new idea. Will be fun to watch for.
#18–Alfie==as stated: “spew and skew.” You didn’t need to demonstrate my point, but thanks anyway. The more you dittoheads are put on display, the even lower your influence will decline.
I’d actually like to hear some good sound conservative balance to the current Obama initiatives. Too bad the Repuglican ship of state is rudderless.
#19
– You’re right about one thing… the Republican ship is rudderless. It’s obvious that the presidency is now won by easy smiles and pretty prose, and right now, the Republicans have nobody to match Obama there.
And will somebody agree with me that Michelle Obama has ZERO fashion sense and always looks pretty bad?
Fashion rule number one for women: If you’ve got fat arms, don’t show them off.
Obama is a rube when it comes matters of protocol. He is all teleprompter and no substance.
Snubbing our number 1 ally is unforgivable especially since he is so willing to kiss the feet of Iran’s little tyrant.
Obama has no class and is clearly in over his head.
#21–contempt==what did Obama do/not do?
#22 bobbo
If you need it explained to you then you should probably go back to playing with your tinker toys.
#24–contempt==heh, heh. I’ve read the OP and a few of the links. More is not said than said.
Rant on dittohead.
I doubt if most Brits are offended by the return of the bust.
And I don’t think a lot of them are fans of Brown either.
#25 bobbo
>>More is not said than said.
Imagine the liberal press squelching information that might damage their creature. Why are you surprised?
#27–contempt for reason==I’m not surprised. I’ve read the OP and related links. I can’t identify any “offense.” If you can actually offer any constructive insight into what the heck “the issue” here is, I’d be informed.
Would I be surprised if the media doesn’t embarass Obama? No. They haven’t performed their constitutional duties for decades.
But again==what is the fricken “affront?” Has Brown or anyone “official” in England said anything or is this completely a blog-0-sphere BS story?
Seems to me the English are giving away their excess old crap (inkwells from rotting wood, mass produced busts of WW2 leaders) while the USA is giving away new crap (Hollywood Movies Obama is probably re-gifting?).
Like I said==whats the issue?
Health care is a big problem and drain on the economy, and has been so for years. Congress has never had the guts to face it, like so many other sacred cows, entitlements. I pay a lot for health insurance and medical services, much it goes to subsidizing the uninsured. The UK model will not work in this country, but the German model may. Make health insurance mandatory, subsidizing the low income or unemployed. Force insurers into a nonprofit corporations. We have many people today not going to a physician, or refilling meds that will end up in $100,000 hospital bill months later, either picked up my Medicaid or passed to paying patients. As with many of you, my premiums go up every year, the deductibles are higher, and co-pays greater. We’re paying for it anyway in the worst haphazard way.
As president the last thing I would want is the bust of a guy that tipped off the kaiser there were munitions on the Lusitania just to get my country into their European war.
As for the UK I think it highly prudent to make a clear separation of president and PM to not allow tabloid on either side to continue to think the PM is a lapdog of the US.
That was certainly a problem for both sides with the last PM. Let the UK be the UK and the US be the US for once.
Cursor_
#28 bobbo
>>whats the issue?
An ally is a wonderful thing to have in times of trouble and strife. Obama has the responsibility to at least “pretend to care” (something he actually excels in) toward our allies.
This most recent faux pax is just another link in the Obama chain of personal arrogance. I won’t even go into his dolt of a wife.
#31–contempt for reason==heh, heh. Can’t even fake a response by repeating the reported “facts” you can only repeat the fact of a dispute huh? Weak, very weak.
How can you skew, if you can’t spew?
If you had any brains, you would pick up on cursor’s excellent post. Both the USA and UK gain in stature if they regain their independence. I recognize you don’t understand what we are saying. Maybe someday soon, you too can be gifted as an ink well?
Did John read that article before posting it? What snub? Sending back the bust of Churchill. Come on, really. Then the author says it might be Michelle Obama’s fault, and then does not give one example of her snubbing the Prime Minister or speaking ill of Great Britain, instead drudging up Republican attacks on her from the campaign. Weak!