I just took my kids to the local donut shop. It was their first experience. Next two us was a pair of elderly men who were kind enough to wave at our children and come up to me and express some kind sentiments.
While we were eating our donuts (Apple Fritter, Raised Old Fashioned Chocolate, Chocolate Bar, Chocolate Cake w/ sprinkles, Chocolate Cake w/ Coconut, 3 chocolate milks and a large coffee for me). I couldn’t help but notice that the elders near us were WWII veterans who were expressing some concern for “our president”…not liking that he is schmoozing with foreign leaders and apologizing for America.
To paraphrase them, “We fought their wars, forgave their debt, fed them. Why are we apologizing?”
I realize that we have done much for other countries and am not suggesting that it is a blank check for us to now do whatever we would desire, but hearing such words from two WWII vets did sting a bit. My patriotic spirit rose and I wanted to shout an “amen”. My grandpa also fought in WWII, so you can say that I am bias to these kind men in the donut shop. That they were kind and playful with my kids also didn’t hurt. I wanted to join teh conversation, but I realize that I lacked the “ethos” to speak with authority. As they left I did thank them for their service and wished them well.
I sat there thinking about how Obama had treated England, our greatest ally in WWII and in the current war on terror (or whatever they are calling it now). He gave Gordon Brown a rather normal reception at the White House and bestowed him with the now infamous DVD pack featuring some American classic movies. Me thinks Obama was regifting it, but just a speculation.
Here is an article from the Daily News posted below noting the remarkable hospitality of our president:
London aghast at President Obama over gifts given to Prime Minister Brown
BY David Saltonstall
Daily News Senior Correspondent
Updated Saturday, March 7th 2009, 2:03 AM
Edmonds/APPresident Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown walk from the Oval Office of the White House.
You’d think President Obama had booted the Brits out of America — again!
London newspapers are howling over a string of alleged snubs by Obama to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown during his visit to Washington last week — including a squabble over presidential gift-giving.
“President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain,” sniffed The Daily Telegraph Friday. “His handling of the visit of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Washington was appalling.”
The list of complaints is longer than the Magna Carta: Obama canceled a planned, podium-to-podium news conference with Brown (actually, none was ever scheduled); he recently removed a bust of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill from the Oval Office; and he gave gifts to the Brown family that were “about as exciting as a pair of socks,” one Fleet Street wag whined.
That last bit might be true. After Brown presented Obama with a pen holder crafted from the timbers of the 19th century British warship HMS President (whose sister ship, HMS Resolute, provided the wood for the Oval Office’s desk), Obama offered up … 25 DVDs of American movie classics.
“Oh, give me strength,” wrote one appalled Daily Telegraph staffer. “We do have television and DVD stores on this side of the Atlantic.”
Never mind that Brown is blind in one eye and may have a hard time seeing the stars in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” or that American DVDs are usually incompatible with British players.
Equally insulting, decided the Times of London, was Michelle Obama’s “solipsistic” and “inherently dismissive” gifts to the Browns’ two little boys, Fraser and John.
The offending souvenirs? Toy models of Marine One, the President’s helicopter — gifts no doubt plucked from the White House gift shop at the last minute, The Times decided.
Brown’s wife, Sarah, by contrast arrived with dresses for Sasha and Malia from the UK’s trendy Top Shop (with matching necklaces) and a selection of books by British authors.
“A bit of thought had clearly gone into choosing them,” crowed The Daily Mail. “Lovely.”
The Brits have blown up the alleged snubs into new evidence that the “special relationship” between the two nations is no longer quite so special.
The hand-wringing began last month when Obama removed a bust of Churchill from the Oval Office and replaced it with his hero, Abraham Lincoln.
The Times of London immediately traced Obama’s “disdain” for Churchill to Kenya, where Obama’s grandfather was caught up in the Churchill-led suppression of the 1950s Mau Mau Rebellion that left thousands of
Kenyans dead.
“It’s not surprising that Mr. Obama didn’t want Churchill looking over his shoulder,” explained one correspondent.
At this point, the two sides seem to be in full repair mode. The White House let it be known that Obama and Brown shared a chummy phone call as the prime minister was headed home.
And Friday, it was revealed that Obama would be granted a private audience with Queen Elizabeth when he is in London next month.
Quipped one reader of The Sun, “I hope Her Majesty likes DVDs.”
dsaltonstall@nydailynews.com
I was absolutely embarrassed to be an American when this story broke. Perhaps I was the only one. Also note that the posted article was before Oabama’s visit with the Queen. Tempers were already high in Britain and all eyes were on what Obama would bring. Well, he didn’t fail to disappoint, bestowing an Ipod. Yes, an Ipod. The Queen already owned an Ipod, perhaps she gave it back to our president, but one would never expect such rudeness from the superiorly cultured Brits. Oh, did I also mention that the DVD gift wasn’t even compatible with Brit DVD players. Perhaps it was intentional on Obama’s part to get him to purchase a DVD player in America that was imported from China.
One other thing, Obama also sent back a previous gift from Britain, a bust of Sir Winston Churchill that previous president Bush placed alongside other busts of great leaders.
Okay, just wanted to honor these two men in the donut shop by posting some similar thoughts I had. I hope for better from our president and wish that he cared as much about pleasing our long-time allies as he did the Arab world. I am not racist and realize why he is taking such great effort to schmooze the Arabs…just disappointed that he didn’t do the same to the Brits…and wonder why?