printConservatives all trashed the president for breaching etiquette with the Queen of England. In a painfully embarrassing moment, poor Barack Obama continued speaking and toasting the old girl as the British national anthem played. He was supposed to zip up his mouth. But when the poor guy turned to Elizabeth II and raised his glass, she glanced at him icily and averted her gaze. How ungracious! I’m all for etiquette. (And I’m all for the Queen.) But when manners come at the cost of kindness and hospitality—forget about it. Making your guest feel at home trumps standing on ceremony. The Queen ought to have broken protocol, smiled, and raised her glass to the glass of our poor oaf of a president. Had the old girl done that small thing she would have shown that she is a monarch and a mensch.
[The weekly, WND.COM column will be back next week. I’ve been under the weather.]
I guess that makes them even after the scandalous gifts they brought along on their previous visit?
If this was barry’s first trip to Great Britain..maybe give him a break. But this is the second time “the won” has traveled there and breached etiquette. At some point it begins to look intentional.
If he’s going to act like a child, he should be reprimanded like a child.
At the same time, she is only human, after all. After this President has – as you put it – so oafishly treated the Brits on several other occasions (e.g. ungraciously returned Winny’s bust, the DVD affair, etc.), and then seemingly failed to get his protocol people to bring him up to speed on these simple matters of form and etiquette, well, I think I can understand Her Majesty’s picque. No, I didn’t say I approved, but I do undertand it.
Americans vs. the Empire: President Obama had the “right of way” since he started before the band started playing the Imperial German Anthem:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heil_dir_im_Siegerkranz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjJa3_dR5Ac
or were they playing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Country,_'Tis_of_Thee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0ywDLpfBHg
or some other random ditty:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN9EC3Gy6Nk
One important difference between us rude Americans and the other funny speaking blokes I have been dealing with is over that silly ole 2nd Amendment where the folks up North consider guns hush hush while I am saying “but you can buy all that stuff at a dozen gunshops within 20 minutes of here” (Huntsville AL) to the Canadians. So vive le difference and aux armes cityonens (des Etats-unis) – celebrate our gun rights.
And why do free people need the RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS? This can be seen in another “National Anthem You Tube” recorded 20 April 1945 for the BBC – no grammy winning singing but a cynic like me was weeping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUSmEbGLs4
Yes, she did seem a tad distracted – didn’t even take a sip of her Champagne.
Anyone think she is still learning how to work the Ipod she received from the Prez back in 2009 and that was her distraction?
ps: Sooner or later I suspect that the bust of Chamberlain will be RE-GIFTED to the White House.
I’m with you, Ilana, on the graciousness the Queen should have shown. Being the bigger person would have shown true class. Now then, shouldn’t heads be rolling in the WH department in charge of making sure the president is up on protocol?
Yeah? I’ll take peace-monger Chamberlain over warmongering neo-con Churchill anytime anyplace. Drop Churchill’s bust into the nearest sinkhole.
Dear Mrs Mercer,
This is only the 2nd time I have seriously disagreed with your views. The queen has lived her whole life according to a set of protocols that are hundreds of years old. These protocols are no state secret and it would be polite to learn about and adhere to such when meeting with the lady under her own roof. She is after all a monarch and will remain so until she either dies or abdicates, unlike US presidents which in relative terms are “flash in the pan”. I am sure that a lady of her majesty’s caliber would do the same for the obamanation should she pay a visit!
I interpreted her look a different way; one of embarrassment for Obama.
He double downed on his boorishness (what would the press say if he talked through our national anthem?) and then double downed again by picking up his toast immediately after the anthem was over.
The Queen graciously ignored protocol and raised her glass to him nevertheless, extending the courtesy you wanted earlier.
One does not humor a petulant child. Especially when you’re the Queen.
Hello…
CompassionateFascist: If Churchill’s bust is sent to you, please re-gift it to me so a century or so from now, my heirs can sell it to a museum for BIG $$$s.
Bill Meyer: AGREED, but turn-around is fair play and the Brits have been doing it far longer than us Colonials.
Myron Pauli: No truly “free people” need the RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS…but it can’t hurt to remind government their attacks upon that inherent right will not be tolerated and we will, through the legal system, be aware of their attempts to do so.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY !!!
I’ll admit that I did not watch the whole video. What I saw, however, was that President Obama clearly began his toast before the music started playing.
Perhaps he should have paused when the music began playing (or when he recognized the tune). Chastising him, formally or informally, for beginning his toast before the music started is entirely unmerited.
I agree with you, Ms. Mercer.
Give her a break: she’s an old lady. I lived in Manchester for a spell. The upper crusts aren’t great improvisors. In the moment she may not have even recognized how embarrassing the faux pas was. I distinctly overheard her say, ‘that’s very kind’.
My favorite part was Obama’s Shakespeare quote getting mangled over. Here is a credentialed but uneducated man attempting to fake culture with a Shakespeare quote (which I’m sure involved a 2 minute googling of ‘Shakespeare, England’ on his speechwriter’s part). It is the essence of the fauxlitists (as opposed to elites, who are authentic in their education and culture, are well-versed, top-notch, and humble). There’s no reason to feel pity for Obama here. He is not some innocent who found himself the victim of circumstance. Here we saw a fauxlitist who 3 years ago loitered a fake sense of culture and refinement over America — aided by the American press who never questioned him. The champion of those liberal arts grad professors who finally had their professorial philosopher president.
Question: how would Barack Obama, Sr. have felt seeing his son pretend to give a warm-hearted toast to the Queen of England? His blood must be boiling from his grave, and Junior knows it too.
Myron I watched the youtube video in your last link. I too was in tears.