Well, Obama's treatment of Brown was considered rude by the British

[Ought Six]

Obama's gift to our closest ally's head of state was a few movies he could have picked up at Blockbuster? Wow! For someone
who is supposed to be so very intellegent, he is quite the idiot. I am embarrassed for him, and for our nation.

It reminds me of my Mom giving people crappy rumage sale items after receiving very nice, very expensive gifts from them.

[dbuk]

That paper (the most right wing paper in Britain - and a tabloid at that) hates Brown - they are traying to take away the sheen Brown might have gained from his trip to America by implying that Obama doesn't like or agree with him.

They are not making a point explicitly about Obama - which is clearly how you are trying to paint this. My point still holds - people in Britain do not think Obama is rude - your argument is a fallacy, seizing any oppurtunity to demonise Obama is blinding you from what these articles are trying to do.

Guess what - The British Media is more intersted in making a point about Brown than Obama.

The British people as a whole are impressed by Obama - and they hated Bush.

[jason]

Originally Posted by Ought Six

fr:

Fart thinks a post full of logical fallacies and funny pics *is* debate. He is a little challenged that way,
but he is at least good for a little comic relief (sometimes unintentionally ). But I do wish he would
not post really wide images that blow out the display width of the whole thread.

No longer an issue

http://thisbluemarble.com/showpost.p...4&postcount=12

[Fartacus]

Originally Posted by Ought Six

fr:

Fart blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blah,blah, blah, blah, blahblah, blah, blah, blahblah, blah, blah, blah

But I do wish he would
not post really wide images that blow out the display width of the whole thread.

Blame your demigod Limbaugh for having such a monstrosity of a "house." At least he's close to the beach when it's time to feed on the krill.*






*that one was stolen from Fark.

[free ranger]

Originally Posted by Fartacus

Blame your demigod Limbaugh for having such a monstrosity of a "house." At least he's close to the beach when it's time to feed on the krill.*

*that one was stolen from Fark.

Talk about:

[US Blues]

Originally Posted by Fartacus

Blame your demigod Limbaugh for having such a monstrosity of a "house." At least he's close to the beach when it's time to feed on the krill.*

*that one was stolen from Fark.

I wonder if he has a yacht, as Bimini is 50 miles away and the Bahamas are 100

[US Blues]

Originally Posted by jason

No longer an issue

http://thisbluemarble.com/showpost.p...4&postcount=12

now if you could shorten picture links that make "Live Posts" go wide, that would be great

[free ranger]

Seems that the Brits are still pissed:

President Barack Obama dislikes Britain, but he's keen to meet the Queen

President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain this week. His handling of the visit of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Washington was appalling. First Brown wasn't granted a press conference with flags, then one was hastily arranged in the Oval office after the Brits had to beg. Obama looked like he would rather have been anywhere else than welcoming the British leader to his office and topped it all with his choice of present (*) for the PM. A box of 25 DVDS including ET, the Wizard of Oz and Star Wars? Oh, give me strength. We do have television and DVD stores on this side of the Atlantic. Even Gordon Brown will have seen those films too often already.

This was coupled with Michelle Obama's casual choice of gifts for the Brown sons - matching models of the helicopter which ferry her husband around. While Sarah Brown had spent time choosing gifts for the Obama girls, Michelle had clearly sent an aide to the White House gift shop at the last moment.

All in all, he doesn't think much of us, as I explained in my post here earlier this week.

But what's this? Something, suddenly, seems to have made the Obama White House perk up and start to take an interest in the Brits. The Queen has invited the President to tea when he's here for the G20 in April. And he's in through the front door of Buckingham Palace faster than a Harley Davidson roaring along Route 66.

Note how the coolness of Team Obama disappears when a bit of regal glamour is introduced into the equation. He might not like the Brits, but he can recognise a global superstar when he encounters one. He wants to be associated with her. He's shameless.

(*) If Obama, or someone in his inner circle, had spent two minutes thinking about what present to get Brown then they could easily have come up with something appropriate. He likes books. He loves American history. Get him a signed first edition of a good Robert Dallek book such as the brilliant Flawed Giant on LBJ. Come to think of it, Obama should read it too, if he hasn't yet, as it reveals a great deal about how a Presidency can go so wrong.

[US Blues]

well DUH !!!, the Queen is one of the richest in the world.
Of course he wants to meet her, he's got Treasury Debt to sell

[A.T. Hagan]

The evening NPR news just ran a story about the blogger that started this. Seems to have developed legs.

.....Alan.

[rb.]

Originally Posted by Fartacus

Blame your demigod Limbaugh for having such a monstrosity of a "house." At least he's close to the beach when it's time to feed on the krill.*






*that one was stolen from Fark.

Amazing that he's never needed a bailout, though, eh?

Something tells me he would have given the British PM and his family much more acceptable gifts and reception than the Obamas.

[Ought Six]

db:

"That paper (the most right wing paper in Britain - and a tabloid at that) hates Brown - they are traying to take away the sheen Brown might have gained from his trip to America by implying that Obama doesn't like or agree with him."

I am noticing a pattern in your comments. Virtually any news outlet you feel is 'right wing', you denigrate and dismiss. Any outlet that is left-leaning has it right. And by your account, just about the entire Brit population agrees with you, except for a few right-wing Brown-haters. My BS meter is pegged.

[free ranger]

OMG - it gets worse. Obama apparently wants to assure the Brits that he’s simply in over his head and floundering:

Barack Obama 'too tired' to give proper welcome to Gordon Brown

Barack Obama's offhand approach to Gordon Brown's Washington visit last week came about because the president was facing exhaustion over America's economic crisis and is unable to focus on foreign affairs, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.

Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been "overwhelmed" by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.

British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.

But Washington figures with access to Mr Obama's inner circle explained the slight by saying that those high up in the administration have had little time to deal with international matters, let alone the diplomatic niceties of the special relationship.

Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president's surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.

A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama's inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to "even fake an interest in foreign policy".

A British official conceded that the furore surrounding the apparent snub to Mr Brown had come as a shock to the White House. "I think it's right to say that their focus is elsewhere, on domestic affairs. A number of our US interlocutors said they couldn't quite understand the British concerns and didn't get what that was all about."

The American source said: "Obama is overwhelmed. There is a zero sum tension between his ability to attend to the economic issues and his ability to be a proactive sculptor of the national security agenda.

"That was the gamble these guys made at the front end of this presidency and I think they're finding it a hard thing to do everything."

British diplomats insist the visit was a success, with officials getting the chance to develop closer links with Mr Obama's aides. They point out that the president has agreed to meet the prime minister for further one-to-one talks in London later this month, ahead of the G20 summit on April 2.

But they concede that the mood music of the event was at times strained. Mr Brown handed over carefully selected gifts, including a pen holder made from the wood of a warship that helped stamp out the slave trade - a sister ship of the vessel from which timbers were taken to build Mr Obama's Oval Office desk. Mr Obama's gift in return, a collection of Hollywood film DVDs that could have been bought from any high street store, looked like the kind of thing the White House might hand out to the visiting head of a minor African state.

Mr Obama rang Mr Brown as he flew home, in what many suspected was an attempt to make amends.

The real views of many in Obama administration were laid bare by a State Department official involved in planning the Brown visit, who reacted with fury when questioned by The Sunday Telegraph about why the event was so low-key.

The official dismissed any notion of the special relationship, saying: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment." The apparent lack of attention to detail by the Obama administration is indicative of what many believe to be Mr Obama's determination to do too much too quickly.

In addition to passing the largest stimulus package and the largest budget in US history, Mr Obama is battling a plummeting stock market, the possible bankruptcy of General Motors, and rising unemployment. He has also begun historic efforts to achieve universal healthcare, overhaul education and begin a green energy revolution all in his first 50 days in office.

The Sunday Telegraph understands that one of Mr Obama's most prominent African American backers, whose endorsement he spent two years cultivating, has told friends that he detects a weakness in Mr Obama's character.

"The one real serious flaw I see in Barack Obama is that he thinks he can manage all this," the well-known figure told a Washington official, who spoke to this newspaper. "He's underestimating the flood of things that will hit his desk." A Democratic strategist, who is friends with several senior White House aides, revealed that the president has regularly appeared worn out and drawn during evening work sessions with senior staff in the West Wing and has been forced to make decisions more quickly than he is comfortable.

He said that on several occasions the president has had to hurry back from eating dinner with his family in the residence and then tucking his daughters in to bed, to conduct urgent government business. Matters are not helped by the pledge to give up smoking.

"People say he looks tired more often than they're used to," the strategist said. "He's still calm, but there have been flashes of irritation when he thinks he's being pushed to make a decision sooner than he wants to make it. He looks like he needs a cigarette."

Mr Obama was teased by the New York Times on Thursday in a front page story which claimed to have detected a greater prevalence of grey hairs since he entered the White House.

The Democratic strategist stressed that Mr Obama's plight was nothing new. "He knew it was going to be tough; he said as much throughout the campaign. But there's a difference between knowing it is going to be tough and facing the sheer relentless pressure of it all."

[flourbug]

Oh yes, it's the economy making the President lose sleep. Yeah, that's the story....

Today, Freedom Watch began an investigation of the Obama White House's reported excessive partying at The White House, with the likes of Stevie Wonder and other high priced entertainment stars. In what in recent weeks has become more like a "high priced night club," Barack and Michelle Obama have been throwing taxpayer funded parties nearly every night with their "friends" and supporters, with Michelle Obama even exhorting them not to "break" White House property.

TODAY, FREEDOM WATCH FILED DOCUMENT REQUESTS WITH THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH TAXPAYER MONEY IS BEING USED FOR THESE "SOIREES," AS FINANCIAL MARKETS
COLLAPSE, HOMES ARE FORECLOSED AND AS "ROME BURNS."

Larry Klayman, founder, Chairman and General Counsel of Freedom Watch issued the following statement:

"This party atmosphere sends the wrong message to the American people. As the Obama-Clinton crowd party on, the American people are suffering greatly. It was right to criticize corporate execs for using taxpayer bailout money on bonuses and corporate junkets. In the face of this criticism, it is an outrage for Barack and Michelle Obama to party on, as Rome burns. It's like throwing a party
at a funeral."

http://www.postchronicle.com/comment...12213325.shtml

[Dreamweaver]

Our clueless leader!

[Ought Six]

A.T.H.:

"The evening NPR news just ran a story about the blogger that started this. Seems to have developed legs."

There is a link an audio replay of that interview with Iain Martin here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=101561670

Here is another facet of this gift faux pas by Obama:

================================================== ==========

Did President Barack Obama gift Gordon Brown unplayable in the UK DVDs? Developing...


Iain Martin
The London Telegraph -- blogs
Mar 6, 2009

Giftgate threatens to take another twist and turn. Alex Massie at Coffee House flags up a vital and hitherto unconsidered aspect of the row, via one of Mark Hemingway's readers.

"It would be funny if the DVDs Mr Obama gave Mr Brown were Region 1 NTSC and therefore not compatible with the UK where DVDs are region 2 and video format is PAL."

This is quite a serious question. I have a vision of the Browns, Gordon and Sarah, settling down at the PM's country retreat (Chequers) this weekend. The children have been put to bed and Mr Brown heads in the direction of the DVD player:

GB: "The Obamas bought us some films on DVD. That was very thoughtful."

SB: "Not that thoughtful..."

GB: "What shall we watch? ET? Star Wars? Psycho, Casablanca, Lawrence of Arabia?

SB: sighs... "Seen them all."

GB: "I'll try The Wizard of Oz, it's the version in which all the colours have been restored to the original quality. We can stop and try something else if you don't like it. Where's the remote control?" (GB fiddles with the DVD player for several minutes) "Right, I think it's going to start." (Nothing happens, machine displays a notice saying 'disc loading error').

SB: (examining DVD cover) "They're Region 1, they won't play in the UK."

The Browns sit in complete silence for several more minutes reflecting on what this means.

Let's hope that somebody in the White House was aware of the difference between the formats and acted accordingly when ordering the DVDs. I have asked Number 10 to clarify and will post an update when they respond.

[Ought Six]

Gordon Brown is frustrated by 'Psycho' in No 10


Tim Walker
The London Telegraph
18 Mar 2009

While not exactly a film buff, Gordon Brown was touched when Barack Obama gave him a set of 25 classic American movies – including Psycho, starring Anthony Perkins on his recent visit to Washington.

Alas, when the PM settled down to begin watching them the other night, he found there was a problem.

The films only worked in DVD players made in North America and the words "wrong region" came up on his screen. Although he mournfully had to put the popcorn away, he is unlikely to jeopardise the special relationship – or "special partnership", as we are now supposed to call it – by registering a complaint.

A Downing Street spokesman said he was "confident" that any gift Obama gave Brown would have been "well thought through," but referred me to the White House for assistance on the "technical aspects".

A White House spokesman sniggered when I put the story to him and he was still looking into the matter when my deadline came last night.

By the way, when Obama's unlikely gift was disclosed, a reader emailed me to ask if Clueless was among the films. Funnily enough, it was not.

Brown, on the other hand, presented a rather more thoughtful gift to the American President in the form of a penholder carved from the timbers of an anti-slavery ship. The sister ship, in fact, of the one that was broken up and turned into the desk in the Oval Office.

[BirdGuano]

Nice.

Obama's staff can't even take 30 seconds to Google world
television standards.

[leistb]

Originally Posted by BirdGuano

Nice.

Obama's staff can't even take 30 seconds to Google world
television standards.

Don't you know the earth revolves around America?

[BirdGuano]

Originally Posted by leistb

Don't you know the earth revolves around America?

At least they didn't have a bowl-off for world supremacy.