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

[free ranger]

One of the first things Obama did on taking office was send a Winston Churchill bust, given by the British to President Bush, back to the British. And now this bit of embarrassment.

President Barack Obama just plain rude to Britain. Don't call us in future.

But on this side of the Atlantic the whole business looked pretty demeaning. The morning papers and TV last night featured plenty of comment focused on the White House's very odd and, frankly, exceptionally rude treatment of a British PM. Squeezing in a meeting, denying him a full press conference with flags etc. The British press corps, left outside for an hour in the cold, can take it and their privations are of limited concern to the public.

But Obama's merely warmish words (one of our closest allies, said with little sincerity or passion) left a bitter taste with this Atlanticist. Especially after his team had made Number 10 beg for a mini press conference and then not even offered the PM lunch.

We get the point, sunshine: we're just one of many allies and you want fancy new friends. Well, the next time you need something doing, something which impinges on your national security, then try calling the French, or the Japanese, or best of all the Germans. The French will be able to offer you first rate support from their catering corps but beyond that you'll be on your own.

When it comes to men, munitions and commitment you'll soon find out why it pays to at least treat the Brits with some manners.

And these:

A Washington Post colleague just called me and said that the White House press corps cannot think of a single previous occasion when a British Prime Minister was treated in this way.

British Embassy staff, irritated themselves, had to twist Robert Gibbs’ arm to get even two questions per side in a quick oval office doorstep.

link

Indeed, for a President who wants to “renew” America’s relationship with the rest of the world, Obama is strikingly reluctant to actually, you know, speak to the rest of the world.

link

Incidentally, did you notice that the president silkily downgraded us? Britain, he said, was “one of our closest and strongest allies”. Well, fair enough. US Presidents have to be sparing with their superlatives lest they irk the Canadians or the Israelis or some other favoured people. Still, Dubya never had any problem with describing the United Kingdom as “our closest friend and strongest ally,” adding, on the day Baghdad fell: “America has no finer ally than Great Britain”.

Some will see Obama’s vocabulary as a calculated snub. The forty-fourth president, they will say, has never been keen on Britain. He’s resentful about the way our colonial officers treated his Kenyan grandfather. He was dismissive of us in his autobiography. But I think there is a simpler explanation: he just doesn’t think much of our Prime Minister. Neither do we, Mr President; neither do we.

link

Even the First Lady got in on the snub:

First Lady Michelle Obama shows even she has a gift for the gaffe

...Like all good guests, Sarah Brown arrived bearing gifts for the children, Malia and Sasha. And they were really nice presents. A bit of thought had clearly gone into choosing them: Top Shop dresses (with matching necklaces) and a selection of books by British authors. Lovely.

...In return Mrs Obama gave the Brown children, Fraser and John, two toy models of Marine One, the Presidential helicopter. Fair enough on the helicopter part, always a popular choice with small boys; but Marine One? It’s not as though anyone needs reminding that Barack Obama is President or that he has his own helicopter. Short of giving the boys Action Man models of her own husband smiting the evil forces of neoconservatism, Mrs Obama’s gesture could not have been more solipsistic or more inherently dismissive of Mrs Brown.

Not only did she demonstrate that she spent approximately three seconds contemplating the needs of the Brown boys (having an aide pop to the White House gift shop for a piece of merchandising does not imply a great deal of thought), she appeared to show a most uncharacteristic lapse of judgment...

[A.T. Hagan]

Change we can believe in.

.....Alan.

[Fiddlerdave]

I sure am glad right wingers are laying awake at night worrying about the critical isses of our country.

Obama's slights sure could be the nudge that sends Britain into the arms of terrorist states.

[Sonny]

Hopefully when Obama gets a little more experienced at being presidential He will be able to make it up to Brown. Like maybe getting some professionally music video producers to help choreograph a really memorable Presidential show time spectacular.

[rc]

Obama shouldn't back down and give in to this kind of petty criticism.

He should send the U.S. Ambassador over to #10 Downing Street, and have the Ambassador personally demand that the children return the helicopters.

If he does that a few times, I guarantee that this kind of petty whining will stop. If the kids want a helicopter, tell the queen to sell some crown jewels and buy it herself.

[dbuk]

The sources you quote are all blogs printed in right wing publications who are writing these stories in an effort to suggest that Brown is not being courted by Obama - in efffect trying to reduce any credibility Brown might gain from the meeting. The Telegraph has Blogs that anybody can write, they have as much validity or weight as a post on here.

Nobody in the MSM in Britain is saying that Obama is 'rude'.

After all, Brown is the first European Leader to meet the Pres, did have a press conference with him, was on first name terms with him during said conference and was only the 5th PM to address congress.

If anything Obama was trying to distance himself from Brown because he knows that Bronw said somethings in his speach about protectionism he knew he had to distance himself from, as they would not go down well with the populace.

To suggest that Britain now thinks Obama is rude is very far the mark.

Oh and the Michelle 'gaffe' - big deal frankly.

[Fartacus]

Originally Posted by dbuk

The sources you quote are all blogs printed in right wing publications who are writing these stories in an effort to suggest that Brown is not being courted by Obama - in efffect trying to reduce any credibility Brown might gain from the meeting. The Telegraph has Blogs that anybody can write, they have as much validity or weight as a post on here.

Nobody in the MSM in Britain is saying that Obama is 'rude'.

After all, Brown is the first European Leader to meet the Pres, did have a press conference with him, was on first name terms with him during said conference and was only the 5th PM to address congress.

If anything Obama was trying to distance himself from Brown because he knows that Bronw said somethings in his speach about protectionism he knew he had to distance himself from, as they would not go down well with the populace.

To suggest that Britain now thinks Obama is rude is very far the mark.

Oh and the Michelle 'gaffe' - big deal frankly.

Could we expect less from our beloved Doreen?

[free ranger]

Originally Posted by Sonny

Hopefully when Obama gets a little more experienced at being presidential He will be able to make it up to Brown. Like maybe getting some professionally music video producers to help choreograph a really memorable Presidential show time spectacular.

[free ranger]

Originally Posted by Fartacus

Could we expect less from our beloved Doreen?

Well Fart, feel free to post the leftie blogs who love how Obama treated Brown.

[free ranger]

Originally Posted by Fiddlerdave

I sure am glad right wingers are laying awake at night worrying about the critical isses of our country.

Obama's slights sure could be the nudge that sends Britain into the arms of terrorist states.

True. Why should we care if Obama insults Britain - he's writing love letters to Putin, right?

Besides, Team Obama is busy with bigger things - like demonizing a talk radio host - NOW THAT is a critical issue of our country!!

[dbuk]

From a newspaper rather than a blog:

Barack Obama said that the bond between the UK and the US was "special and strong" today as he reaffirmed his commitment to "the special relationship" after his first meeting with Gordon Brown at the White House.

The US president insisted that the UK was one of America's "closest and strongest allies" and he promised to work with Brown at the G20 summit in London next month in the drive to revive the world economy, while also warning that there would be no swift solution to the recession.

Obama, who met Brown twice last year before his election as president, also said that he had a "terrific" relationship with the prime minister and that there was "a shared set of values and assumptions between us".

Brown, who referred to the president at one point as "Barack", said that he had enjoyed all his conversations, on the phone and in person, with the president. Obama did make a reference to Brown's "wonderful family" and Brown joked about not being able to beat the president at basketball, but perhaps being better than him at tennis.

Speaking to reporters in the White House, Obama said: "The special relationship between the US and Great Britain is one that is not just
important to me. It's important to the American people.

He went on: "Great Britain is one of our closest and strongest allies. There's a link and a bond there that will not break."

The president set aside nearly two hours for Brown today, first in a meeting and then over a working lunch.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...l-relationship

[Fartacus]

Originally Posted by free ranger

Besides, Team Obama is busy with bigger things - like demonizing a talk radio host - NOW THAT is a critical issue of our country!!

Doreen's contributed subtantially to Rancho Limbaugh

[Ought Six]

A British view of the relationship between Brown and Obama (from The Times of London):

[dbuk]

Brown so needs help in the polls at the moment there was big pressure on him to get some validation from Obama - hence the cartoon.

If anything shows how much Obama is respected in Europe at the moment.

[rc]

Were the kids given the "Marine One Playset" http://whitehouse.merchantcart.net/m...&Show=PURCHASE

or the "Plush Marine-1"?
http://whitehouse.merchantcart.net/m...&Show=PURCHASE

Perhaps the Obamas are waiting to see whether or not they get a thank you card before sending future gifts.

Come to think of it, the thank you card ought to be obtainable under the Freedom of Information Act.

Yes, Britain is our closest ally. But that's not to say that we don't remember that little unpleasantness in 1776.

[frodo]

The British Labour Government were so far up Bush's rear end that all you could see were the soles of their shoes. Tony Blair was called "Bush's poodle". Why would Obama do more then be cordial and measured?

[Ought Six]

f:

Brown is not Blair, and Brown was not very cooperative with Bush. He pulled British troops out of Iraq, against the wishes of the Bush administration, and harangued our government about global warming, among other things. So your premise does not hold water.

[free ranger]

Originally Posted by Fartacus

Doreen's contributed subtantially to Rancho Limbaugh

Hey, I guess you are following the Dems new marching orders - to demonize any people who don't agree with them, eh Fart?

[free ranger]

Originally Posted by dbuk

Nobody in the MSM in Britain is saying that Obama is 'rude'.

...Mr Brown had hoped to hitch his flagging political fortunes to Barack Obama's star.

And Mr Obama did lavish praise on the 'special relationship' between Britain and America last night - but only after giving Mr Brown a distinctly muted reception.

The Prime Minister's first official meeting with the new President fell short of the lavish welcomes laid on in recent years.

After intense negotiations with the new administration, Mr Brown got some warm words on the historic links between the U.S. and UK.

But there was no family get-together, nor did the President offer Mr Brown and his wife Sarah a star-studded White House dinner.

And instead of the traditional joint press conference, the Prime Minister was instead given an impromptu media briefing in the Oval Office.

Within minutes of landing in a snowbound Washington on Monday night, Mr Brown's aides had been made aware that their high expectations for the trip were in danger of exceeding the low-key welcome the Obama administration was prepared to offer.

Suggestions that the new President's crowded diary made it impossible to give more time to Mr Brown rang hollow after it emerged that his other engagements included a routine speech to the Department for Interior and a meeting with the Boy Scouts of America.

British officials tried to counter the rumours by pointing out that Mr Brown was the first European leader to be invited to Washington.

To underscore the change from the informality of the Bush years, Mr Obama pointedly referred to Mr Brown throughout as 'Prime Minister', with just one reference to him as 'Gordon' at the end of the press talks.

Over Mr Brown's shoulder was another reminder of the change in Britain's influence in the Oval Office.

A bronze bust of Abraham Lincoln, the 19th century president Mr Obama considers his political hero, now sits where a bust of Winston Churchill previously held pride of place.

As one of his first gestures, the President had the Churchill sculpture - loaned to George Bush by Tony Blair - given back to Britain....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ion-Obama.html

[free ranger]

Originally Posted by Ought Six

A British view of the relationship between Brown and Obama (from The Times of London):

Times of London you say....

[Fartacus]

Originally Posted by free ranger

Hey, I guess you are following the Dems new marching orders - to demonize any people who don't agree with them, eh Fart?

Ah, the classic "No I'm not, you are" retort.

Well played, master debater!

[Sysiphus]

Well played, master debater!

And you, sir, are a cunning linguist.

[free ranger]

Originally Posted by Fartacus

Ah, the classic "No I'm not, you are" retort.

Well played, master debater!

Oh - your posts were DEBATING the issue? Is that a new style they teach at your school?

I thought you were just shooting the messenger.

[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.

[free ranger]

OMG - more from the British MSM:

Obama's blockbuster gift for Brown to reaffirm the 'special relationship': 25 DVDs

As he headed back home from Washington, Gordon Brown must have rummaged through his party bag with disappointment.

Because all he got was a set of DVDs. Barack Obama, the leader of the world's richest country, gave the Prime Minister a box set of 25 classic American films - a gift about as exciting as a pair of socks.

Mr Brown is not thought to be a film buff, and his reaction to the box set is unknown. But it didn't really compare to the thoughtful presents he had brought along with him.

The Prime Minister gave Mr Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet.

The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet's sister ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that has sat in the Oval Office in the White House since 1880.

Mr Brown also handed over a framed commission for HMS Resolute and a first edition of the seven-volume biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert....
************
Doesn't sound like that British paper was very impressed...