The Obama's visit to London for the G20 meeting has been an absolute disaster on matters of protocol. The incompetence shown by the first couple and their protocol officers is amazing, and an embarrassment to our country.Michele put her arm around the Queen of England and hugged her. That is an absolute no-no. No one ever touches the Queen for any reason.
Obama's gift to the Queen was an iPod, loaded with show tunes and excerpts from Obama campaign speeches. Besides the fact that she's already received one as a gift, how arrogant is that? He believes the Queen actually wants to hear his bullshit speeches?
Obama bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia, another big time no-no. No one bows to a King except his subjects. I am sure he meant it as a sign of respect, but it will come across as a sign of subservience in the Arab world. I would imagine Al Jazeera is playing the tape of this and laughing their asses off. The Arab world has certainly got the US President they were hoping for!
All administrations have protocol officers, professionals whose job it is to make certain that our officials do not commit gaffes like these. If those officers did their job, and the Obamas ignored them, then shame on the Obamas. If the officers did not do their jobs, and the Obamas did these stupid things out of ignorance, they should throw the officers out of the plane over the Atlantic on the trip back. In either case, it shows how ignorant and self absorbed this administration is.
3 comments:
Did they bring in new protocol officers, too? Is that a Republican/Democrat job?
And some of the articles were almost bragging about how Michele's J Crew cardigan sold out online almost immediately after that picture.
WTF? You throw on a sweater to meet royalty? Hopefully she wasn't wearing her bedroom slippers.
White House spokesmen have denied that Obama bowed to King Abdullah. Photographs and video of the incident are all over the net, making their denial a stupid lie.
News outlets all over the Arab world have siezed on this, not as a protocol gaffe, but proof that the new American President knows his place.
I think Obama did this on purpose. If it was just a protocol gaffe, then why didn't he make the same mistake with the Queen of England, who he met days earlier? If he believed that it was proper to bow, then logic dictates he would have made the mistake first with her.
The latest from the White House, as of today, is that it was not a bow, that Obama was merely bending over a bit so he could speak to the King eye to eye (because obama is so much taller than the King).
Look at the photo, and decide for yourselves. Seems to me Obama is looking at the King's crotch, not his eyes!
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