I blush to say it, but Bravo Obama ...

This, from The Opinionator blog, actually has me smiling. I had missed the fact that the Obama Administration shunned the brits when Gordon Brown visited, and then pulled out all stops for Irish PM Cowan.

Although I have many, many issues with Obama et al, I salute them for their good taste in this very important issue. Thank you, Mr. President, for giving the brits exactly what they deserve - nothing; and the Irish for what they deserve - our thanks and honor.

See what I mean:

Still, Nile Gardiner of The Telegraph thinks that, all in all, the luck of the Irish held.

The contrast between the White House welcome this month for the Irish and British Prime Ministers could not have been greater. Brian Cowen, the Taoiseach of Ireland, is hardly a world figure, but he received the kind of red carpet treatment in Washington that would normally be reserved for royalty.

The Irish PM has no influence whatsoever over the policies of the United States. Yet he was greeted for a 40-minute meeting in the Oval Office on Tuesday by not only the president but also Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and National Security Adviser Jim Jones. In addition, Obama hosted a lavish dinner party for 400 guests in Cowen’s honour to mark St. Patrick’s Day, where both the U.S. and Irish leaders spoke (teleprompter fiasco aside). At Michelle Obama’s request, the White House fountain was even turned green to mark the event.

When Gordon Brown was received at the White House at the start of March he was denied a press conference as well as an official dinner and was treated in a humiliating, demeaning fashion. Brown may well be a lame duck at home, but he is still the representative of 60 million Britons and a nation that has sacrificed blood and treasure alongside America time after time. The whole affair was hugely insulting to the British people.

For many, the ultimate symbol of the dissing of Gordon Brown involved the ritual exchange of presents: while the Browns came bearing “an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet” as well as books and outfits for the First Children, Sasha and Malia, the Obamas responded with a 25-disc set of classic American moves, which The Daily Mail’s Ian Drury called “as exciting as a pair of socks.”

While, again, this seems minor, insult was added to insult this week when it turned out that the regional-coding system applied to DVD’s rendered the movies unplayable at 10 Downing Street.

To paraphrase Michelle Obama: "For the first time," since this administration took office, "I'm proud of America" for their approach to European diplomacy.

Slainté!

ExpertExpat