Barack and Brown- an unhappy couple

I believe that our relationship with our neighbors across the pond is important maintain. It has allowed for greater connectivity in financial centers and will help to repair our credibility in world relations.

Our President has promised to repair our image in the world and improve communication with other countries. Recently, British PM Gordon Brown came for his first visit to the United States. Ideologically, Obama and Brown are very similar, and Brown has been supportive and respectful of Obama in a number of ways. However, this respect has certainly not been mutual.

President Obama removed Churchill's bust from the White House and offered it back to the Brits, and even was incredibly insulting during Brown's visit. Obama cancelled Brown's indoor press conference due to snow, and senselessly gave Brown a box of 25 dvds as a gift. Thats right, our president gave a box dvds to another country's leader. To put this in perspective, Brown gave Obama a first edition biography of Winston Churchill and a historicallly valuable artifact from the HMS Gannet, a British sloop.

Pretty sad, and pretty classless on Obama's part. Especially, because this has sent a clear and unfortunate message to the British.

Article on the fiasco in the UK with a little speculation: http://beltwayblips.dailyradar.com/stor /was_lady_macbeth_behind_barack_obama_s_snub_of_gordon/

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/iain_martin/blog/2009/03/04/president_barack_obama_just_plain_rude_to_britain_dont_call_us_in_future