POTUS Obama's Gift To PM Brown -- 25 DVD's
D. Spencer Hines
--
DSH
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
------------------------------------------
Thursday, Mar 05 2009
Obama's blockbuster gift for Brown to reaffirm the 'special relationship':
25 DVDs
By Ian Drury
Last updated at 6:45 PM on 05th March 2009
The Mail Online
He had put clearly great thought into giving the U.S. President lavish gifts
to signify Britain's 'special relationship' with the U.S.
During his historic trip to Washington, Gordon Brown gave Barack Obama an
ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship
HMS Gannet - once called HMS President.
Excellent! -- DSH
The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet's sister
ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that already takes place in
the Oval Office in the White House, after being presented by Britain to the
US in 1880.
Marking the special relationship: The Browns put a lot of thought into their
gifts for the Obamas - but the gesture did not seem to be reciprocated
The Prime Minister went to the trouble of hunting down the perfect gift
after becoming the first world leader invited to the White House by the new
Commander In Chief.
So it would be perfectly understandable if Mr Brown felt a little
underwhelmed at the official gift he received in return.
For despite being leader of the world's most bountiful nation, President
Obama handed over nothing more thought-provoking than 25 classic American
films on DVD.
It was the equivalent of receiving a pair of socks from an unfamiliar aunt
at Christmas - and a less-than-glowing affirmation of the UK-US bond.
Mrs Brown has been praised for her well-chosen gifts for the Obama
children - but Mrs Obama's gift to the Brown children appeared less
thoughtful
Despite being a 'special collector's box set', any film buff could have
picked up the movies from their local video store for just £250.
It is not clear what the Prime Minister - not believed to a great fan of
cinema - thought about receiving the films.
Downing Street yesterday THURS refused even to state which movies were in
the box set - perhaps a reflection of their embarrassment that the gift was
less generous than the ones taken to Washington by the Prime Minister.
But the Mail understands the gift included Hollywood blockbusters such as
Star Wars, The Godfather and Orson Welles' ground-breaking flick Citizen
Kane.
Perhaps pertinently given Britain is floundering in an economic slump, the
DVD collection was thought to feature the movie of John Steinbeck's Great
Depression novel, 'The Grapes Of Wrath'.
It also included the Oscar-winning boxing biopic 'Raging Bull' starring
Robert Di Nero and Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho - maybe a
comment on the PM's notorious short fuse?
And he will hope that at a General Election the British public do not shun
his imploration for another term in office by thinking at the ballot box of
the famous line from another of the movies, Casblanca [sic]: 'Frankly, my
dear, I don't give a damn.'
NO! _Gone With The Wind_ -- Rhett to Scarlett. -- DSH
But following Mr Brown's his recent troubles - the UK entering recession,
soaring job losses and home repossessions, Labour struggling in the polls
and threats of leadership challenges - he may be pleased at being able to
settle down for a quiet night in front of the ultimate feel-good movie: It's
A Wonderful Life.
Number 10 was staying silent about the gift, but the Mail has learned the
American Film Institute produced a box set of 25 top U.S. movies as a
"special request" for the White House last month.
Mr Brown also took to Washington a framed commission for HMS Resolute, a
vessel that came to mark Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by
Americans and given to Queen Victoria.
Excellent! -- DSH
He also gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of
Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.
But Obama sends the CHURCHILL bust BACK! Appalling! -- DSH
Mr Brown and his wife also showered gifts on the Obama children giving Sasha
and Malia an outfit each from Topshop and six children's books by British
authors which are shortly to be published in America.
In return, the Obamas gave the Browns two models of the presidential
helicopter, Marine One, to take home to sons Fraser and John.
The Prime Minister has not had the best of luck when receiving gifts from
U.S. presidents.
He was given a fur-trimmed brown leather bomber jacket by George W. Bush
during first trip to America in summer 2007.
Emblazoned with the presidential seal and the logo of Camp David, it also
boasted a black patch bearing the name 'Rt Hon Gordon Brown'.
Commentators gleefully pointed out that the garment was hardly in keeping
with Mr Brown's usual sober attire of business suit and tie.
Not surprisingly, it later emerged that the PM had decided not to keep the
gift. Instead, he gave it to charity.
Movies in the box-set produced for the White House by the American Film
Institute:
1. Citizen Kane
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca
4. Raging Bull
5. Singing In The Rain
6. Gone With The Wind
7. Lawrence Of Arabia
8. Schindler's List
9. Vertigo
10. The Wizard Of Oz
11. City Lights
12. The Searchers
13. Star Wars: Episode IV
14. Psycho
15. 2001: A Space Odyssey
16. Sunset Boulevard
17. The Graduate
18. The General
19. On The waterfront
20. It's A Wonderful Life
21. China Town
22. Some Like It Hot
23. The Grapes Of Wrath
24. ET: The Extra Terrestrial
25. To Kill A Mocking Bird.
D. Spencer Hines
Ouch!
Cruel!
As a poodle too.
D. Spencer Hines
Ouch!
Cruel!
As a sniffing poodle too.
D. Spencer Hines
1. No high-ranking administration official to meet Brown on arrival at
Andrews AFB. [The President meets visiting Chiefs of State at the White
House, not at Andrews.]
2. No full-fledged, gilt-edged, dual-podium joint news conference with
flags, as Bush had with Blair -- just a small chit-chat in the Oval Office.
3. No white-tie state dinner with elaborate toasts about the Special
Relationship and superb cuisine, tailored to the known Brown couple tastes.
4. No visit to Camp David, flying in Marine One and complete with strolls
down private trails for ultra-private strategic consultations and personal
bonding.
5. POTUS did not attend PM Brown's address to Joint Session of Congress.
6. POTUS did not even send any senior aide from White House to attend PM's
address.
7. Gifts to Brown boys [two model Marine One helicopters] apparently just
picked up at the White House Gift Shop -- anyone can buy one.
One theory is that Obama thinks Brown is just a short-termer, that the
Tories will win the next General Election and Cameron is the man he will
actually have to deal with -- so why waste time on Brown.
But still...
Incredibly Bad Show.
We just shouldn't treat Great Britain, [yes, yes, The United Kingdom] our
closest and most trusted ally, this way.
Raymond O'Hara
"D. Spencer Hines" <pan...@excelsior.net> wrote in message
news:tQGsl.59$PR5...@eagle.america.net...
> Several more snubs Obama made to Brown:
>
> 1. No high-ranking administration official to meet Brown on arrival at
> Andrews AFB. [The President meets visiting Chiefs of State at the White
> House, not at Andrews.]
>
> 2. No full-fledged, gilt-edged, dual-podium joint news conference with
> flags, as Bush had with Blair -- just a small chit-chat in the Oval
> Office.
>
> 3. No white-tie state dinner with elaborate toasts about the Special
> Relationship and superb cuisine, tailored to the known Brown couple
> tastes.
>
> 4. No visit to Camp David, flying in Marine One and complete with strolls
> down private trails for ultra-private strategic consultations and personal
> bonding.
>
> 5. POTUS did not attend PM Brown's address to Joint Session of Congress.
>
> 6. POTUS did not even send any senior aide from White House to attend
> PM's
> address.
Brown was addressing congress
POTUS does not go to congress unless invited.
he does not send spies or proxies to congress EVER.
onc again davie you show a shocking lack of knowledge of the U.S.
government.
D. Spencer Hines
Congress either.
Stanley Moore
"D. Spencer Hines" <pan...@excelsior.net> wrote in message
news:tQGsl.59$PR5...@eagle.america.net...
>
> 1. No high-ranking administration official to meet Brown on arrival at
> Andrews AFB. [The President meets visiting Chiefs of State at the White
> House, not at Andrews.]
>
> 2. No full-fledged, gilt-edged, dual-podium joint news conference with
> flags, as Bush had with Blair -- just a small chit-chat in the Oval
> Office.
>
> 3. No white-tie state dinner with elaborate toasts about the Special
> Relationship and superb cuisine, tailored to the known Brown couple
> tastes.
I agree there should have been more hoopla made for Brown but with recent
news of bailout recipients staging elaborately expensive parties and
conventions perhaps the White House thought it would open Obama to similar
attacks. Of course I would have given the state dinner and explained if
necessary that it was customary to do this and anything else would have been
disrespectful to our staunch ally. I agree with you the whole thing was poor
form. Take care
--
Stanley L. Moore
"The belief in a supernatural
source of evil is not necessary;
men alone are quite capable
of every wickedness."
Joseph Conrad
Jack Linthicum
Maybe he had a copy
Peter Skelton
<pan...@excelsior.net> wrote:
>Several more snubs Obama made to Brown:
>
You have not been following Obama's work with foreign leaders,
have you? He's meeting more of them, and spending less time on
pomp & ceremony, more on substance.
I'm not going to comment on the stupid and illegal parts of your
list, others are doing that.
I'll also pass on the different circumstances except to note that
tactics flow from objectives, discussing one without the contect
of the other is inane.
Peter Skelton
D. Spencer Hines
back to Britain.
But perhaps we shall...
--
DSH
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
<http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00496/Cartoon_496145a.jpg>
Ouch!
Cruel!
As a sniffing poodle too.
Andrew Swallow
More likely Obama does not consider foreign affairs important.
Diplomatically he does not understand his need to get support for
policies at the UN or G8 or G20.
Domestically Brown and the British have neither votes nor a
visible voting lobby. No votes = unimportant.
Economically the EU, China and Japan are bigger.
Militarily Obama's strategy is "Run away" (out of Iraq in x months)
you do not need allies for that.
This is Obama's lack of experience of governing coming out. He
was never a state governor, never held a major federal post and
was AWOL from Congress & his state parliament (campaigning)
when any negotiating work needed doing.
Andrew Swallow
Raymond O'Hara
"Jack Linthicum" <jackli...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:5ec3d3d5-2510-43d3...@x13g2000yqf.googlegroups.com...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
maybe congess didn't invite obama.
the president can only show up if invited.
when churchill addressed congress FDR wasn't there either.
that's how it works. it just shows how ill-informed DSH is about such
things.
D. Spencer Hines
If Obama had wanted to go to watch Gordon Brown's speech to Congress he
could have secured an invitation -- and sat in the Gallery.
It would have been an excellent demonstration of Unity In Crisis -- the
President in Congress -- in Desperate Economic Times.
He says he wants to CHANGE Washington -- well, here's a good test case.
If Congress refused to invite him we'd have a nice Constitutional Crisis --
and that would be fun too.
The long and the short of it is that he isn't very interested in either
Brown or Britain.
So, he just gives 25 DVD's to Brown -- nothing special.
Obama is far more interested in reaching out to the Russians and Chinese --
his fellow Lefties...
And to his Muslim Brethren.
Brits are small potatoes, as he sees it...
And don't provide a big enough stage.
--
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
Vires et Honor
Veni, Vidi, Calcitravi Asinum
"Raymond O'Hara" <raymon...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:gpaai4$uqv$1...@news.motzarella.org...