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The fookin’ Royals
Oh come on who hasn’t hugged a queen or two Michelle was just being polite.
Oh man….I was hoping for a fist bump. That would have been great!
The queen gets a hug. Oh, the humanity!
I can’t wait till Pres Obama gives the Pope a Noogie, Wedgie or Wet Willie.
By the way…..
This is very off topic but only because the editors of this site don’t have the “onions” to bring up the topic.
I suggest you enter “Senator Stevens” in the search box on the right of this blog and look at the volumes of posts ripping Stevens apart for his conviction last year.
Can anyone find the post mentioning that the conviction was recently overturned and the term “prosecutorial misconduct” is being thrown around? Probably just a small over site by JCD’s editors.
Why can’t CNN understand aspect ratios? that squashed, widescreen BS in all their Web videos makes my eyes hurt.
#5 Yes, I’m sure that it is an oversight that will be corrected, shortly?
Now this, in respect of the Queen, is regarded as bad manners, you just don’t do it here. Now. Lower mannered and the not-well-brought-up can always redefine what THEY think is acceptable, or forcing what is acceptable to another society. Like, for example, showing the bottom of your shoes to a Muslim – bad in Iraq but of no consequence in New York. But. Good manners, really good manners, to the well brought up, is having an appreciation of what your hosts find acceptable and behaving, in their company and in their country according to their beliefs. In some societies it is polite to fart loudly at the end of, or during a meal. In the US and most other countries, it is downright bad manners, so, well brought up mannerly Americans don’t do it. We don’t touch the Queen, it’s our protocol – maybe not yours but she’s our Queen, your friend, our respected ruler who – you should note – only requires one male bodyguard (so loved and respected is she), unlike America’s most loved President, indeed ANY President, surrounded by strange men talking into their sleeves and with bulging jackets. Criticise us for many things – not our manners please – these are quite important to some of us. And. Don’t park your car across the house (Buck House particularly) drive entrance to show how important you are. It kind of shows you in a don’t-invite-me-again light and we don’t want to give that impression – do we?
Mutual respect goes a long way, showing disrespect is for others. I Belive that Mrs Obama really was VERY badly informed – uninformed – in this case, by her protocol advisers.
By the way. Don’t put your arm around Brown, he’s Scotttish, they see things differently. It’s all that Oats and porridge (fed to the people there, fed to horses in the rest of the world).
Norman, even assuming your knowledge of her security arrangements is actually complete (something I consider wildly unlikely) all it means is that she doesn’t require any more security than any other wealthy person – because even though she is certainly the head of state, she is not the RULER of GB.
The President is the head of state AND the head of government. It’s a world of difference.
that said, of course the first lady should’ve been better prepared and/or she should’ve taken her prep more seriously.
It was a clumsy gaffe.
Does anyone reading this think that she’s getting just as much disapprobation for her gaffe as would’ve come down on Laura Bush’s head?
[Hey, the Queen started it! – ed.]
If the Queen thought anything was wrong with Michelle’s actions, the Queen would not have reciprocated.
I think the queen was trying to grab some ass there. Look at the replay closely.
#12 keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
#8: I’m not entirely certain that Michelle Obama was misinformed. If you pay attention to the video you will find that Her Majesty actually initiated the gesture by putting her arm around Michelle Obama. I would never presume to touch the Royal Person, but if Her Majesty were to embrace me I would feel an obligation to return the gesture in kind.
I certainly do not pretend to hold the same reverence for Her Majesty that her subjects do, but have a deep and abiding respect for her. Maybe it was, as Mr. Mosely said, a gesture of apology for the generic gift Her Majesty gave the Obamas after the Obamas gave her a very personal gift. (Yes, I know, there is a group of people who pooh-poohed that gift, calling it the iDud, but it was gift intended to please Her Majesty, not Her Majesty’s subjects…)
It also may be Her Majesty stepping out of “official protocol” to match the gesture the President made when he reached out to one of the policemen guarding the estate and shook his hand.
I have some reservations about the current administration. I voted for Obama and support him in general, but I’m finding that (as I expected) the reality is not matching up to the hype. One thing I DO like is the general tone of coming together across all barriers. I see what I have heard of this meeting as extending that concept and of this I heartily approve.
No excuse for this breech of protocol. When in Rome do as the Romans. It either demonstrates ignorance or disrespect for the sovereign of another nation, and out closest ally. Being the First Lady of an elected official doesn’t imply royalty. This deserves an official apology from the Administration. I doubt very much the Queen asked for a hug.
I agree that an apology is called for. That doesn’t mean this is any big deal.
For example, RTaylor complained of a ‘breech’ of protocol, no doubt misspelling the word ‘breach.’ That mistake calls for a correction, and yet is no big deal and does not properly give any reader grounds for drawing conclusions about RTaylor or about how good he is at his job.
Jeez, all this Royalty Worship is making me a little ill. Get over it people, she is just a human being, no more special than any one else. Big deal, so she was born into the lucky sperm club. Keep on kissing the Royals butt, you look like idiots.
Well, perhaps a small breach of protocol, but imagine LBJ meeting the queen?
He might have tried to pick her up by her ears!
Yes it was a breach of protocol but the Queen is simply way too polite and level headed to make a fuss. I happen to love the Queen and I’m not even one of her subjects….LOL!!
OT “Senator Stevens” posters
Phil Ken Sebben
Stevens was one of my Senators, I have even met him a few times. Man could he bring home the pork. I’ve never liked him for political reasons but not because he was a crook, well no more than most pro Neo Con in bed with Corporate Lobbyist Republican Senators are(yes lots of Dems in bed with Corporate Lobbyist too). I monitored the trial closely and came to the conclusion that he was guilty but by ignorance and neglect not willful disregard of the law. The phone surveillance alone made this obvious and pointed out that he knew he was in deep doodoo but still going to try to dodge/cover up his error instead of owning up to it. Still neglect /ignorance of the law is no excuse and more proof that his had expired. The prosecutors of this case so messed it up you would think they were working for Alberto Gonzales. Series of Tubes Ted gets off. That’s fine putting an 85 year old man who has devoted his life to this country to the best of his ability(even if I think he was wrong on almost every vote) should not end it in jail. The prosecutors need to be strongly reprimanded they have given our tarnished legal system another blow. Ted you dodged a bullet enjoy that fancy cabin in your retirement hope it has broadband and remember you were still guilty and that god you believe knows it even if the prosecutors over played this big fish and let it shake off the hook.
OT i’ll repost this rant should we ever get a Stevens gets off headline here
Breach of protocol? Bollocks!
Watch the video again. The *Queen* committed the so-called breach of protocol. She hugged the first lady who reciprocated. Both the video and the commentator make this clear.
Stop looking for something to kvetch about. The combination of the Richard Rogers book (from the Queen’s favorite musical period) and an iPod full of content that goes back over 50 years and is personal to both the giver and receiver, given to a person who is actually something of a gadget fancier, having her fondness for her iPod in the past and being known for being one of the more high tech (for instance email using) members of the royal family is a warm and appropriate gesture.
That the queen responded by embracing the first lady demonstrates that they were well received.
# 23 Phil Ken Sebben said, “OT i’ll repost this rant should we ever get a Stevens gets off headline here”
Of course you will as you are a partisan lib.
25
Paddy can you other than typos can you find any thing I’ve said that was not correct I check my facts before I post you should try it.
Ted was guilty the and got off on legal technicalities
Thought you guys hated that sort of thing
Um, Phil, you really didn’t express ANY facts in your post… you’d think that little issue would have been caught by your rigorous self-fact-checking but whaddayagonnado?
27
fact.
The public release of the recorded phone conversations show that Ted knew he had done wrong and was going to try to cover up.
“The Queen is an almost sacred person…”
With all due respect, the Queen is in no way a sacred person. Maybe an important person(maybe), but not sacred.
Thank God, my ancestors realized that monarchs aren’t ordained by God and cut their ties with these crazy people 232 years ago.
Obama bowed to Islam…Saudi Arabian King…demonstrating his subservience…why aren’t American Newspapers complaining about that?
I remember photos of the Bushes kissing the king of KSA.
Norman Speight: “Now this, in respect of the Queen, is regarded as bad manners, you just don’t do it here.”
You might note that the Queen is hugging Michele right back. She may the Queen, but she’s human too!
Anything to divert attention from the miserable financial markets.
I was upset when the Obama’s entered the room face first instead of walking backwards AND it was hard to tell from the angles and what not but it appears the Obamas look the Queen directly in the eyes.
In olden days, protocol would have been off with their heads for such affrontery.
Mike Baranicle had the best line: “From her bedroom window, the Queen can see whats left of her Empire.” Thats a good one!!
Still, to be fair and accurate: The Queen set protocol by her own touching. Its only idolizing douche bags, not the Queen, that is making any issue out of what in fact is just the opposite. Royalty SETS protocol, she doesn’t follow it.
The simple rule is:
You do not presume to touch her in any manner unless she initiates it.
It looks clearly from the video that she initiated it so it’s perfectly fine for Michelle to have her arm across her shoulder.
No protocol broken, storm in a tea cup.