I'm sure you've all heard this story but what the heck. In an effort to bandage up badly damaged foreign relations created by the Bush Administration, President Obama met with the British PM today and exchanged gifts.

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.

In return, Obama gave a nice boxed set of 25 classic movie DVDs.....

I'm speechless.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...Wizard-Oz.html


EDIT: It gets better (or worse depending on your point of view). Apparently the DVDs wont play on UK DVD players.....

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/iain_ma...um=20&com_pg=2

My suggestion would have been a paddle fashioned from the what wood remained of the executive mansion burned during the War of 1812. Would've went over about as well. Perhaps he can give the Syrians BP gift cards.

tim

Originally Posted by serandfae

My suggestion would have been a paddle fashioned from the what wood remained of the executive mansion burned during the War of 1812.

Well that, at least, would have been thoughtful. What do you want to make a bet that DVD collection was a "Re-gift" of something he received from Bill Ayers a couple years ago and could never get rid of. It reminds me of Will Farrell trying to get rid of that bread maker in "Old School".

If you read down the story a bit, you'll find that he gave the Brown's kids toy copies of the white house helicopter, something they probably have boxes full of in the basement. This in exchange for some very classy, high end, hand picked outfits for the Obama daughters from a very expensive custom clothing store in London.

Reading some of the commentary, apparently the English PM has been elbowing his way to the front of the line to be in Obama's "Presence". I wonder how he liked the treatment?

EDIT: Wasn't looting the White House of anything that wasn't nailed down a Clinton trick? What do you want a bet that box of toy helicopters in the basement is still there after Obama leaves office?

Not to read too much into this, but it makes me smile in a sense. Gordon Brown shops at places like Topshop and Lloyd's. Obama's one of us; he gets his gifts from the Wal-Mart!

I noted a comment was made that this has happened to several U.S. presidents. Are their advisors for these trips dropping the ball or what? I mean, I would think that even the Wal-Mart shopping crowd generally knows that British politicians tend to be ALL about pomp and circumstance.

tim

Originally Posted by serandfae

Are their advisors for these trips dropping the ball or what? I mean, I would think that even the Wal-Mart shopping crowd generally knows that British politicians tend to be ALL about pomp and circumstance.

In a word, absolutely, but it seems the Pres. O, being a "Man of the world" would have known a set of old DVDs was not an appropriate gift for a VP in your company, no less the leader of a foreign nation.

The proper word is probably detente, if you believe the world hates America because of George W. Bush. The whole Hilary/Red "Reset" button fiasco was all pretty harmless, but imagine if the word used translated to "Surrender". The goal is to strengthen relationships with foreign nations, not piss them and their population off.

By the way, knowing what a raging, uhh, uhhh, stongly opinionated person Hilary is, can you imagine the *ss chewing the translator got off camera after that whole thing went down? /shudder

Well, when you add this to the gaff made my Hillary's gift to the Russions, well, it really makes you wonder if these people are really as qualified to lead as they claimed..