Obama Disses Brown with DVD Set

Earlier this week, President Obama hosted UK’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown at a meeting at the White House. The meeting was a low key meeting in the Oval Office, marking a departure from previous administrations who typically held much more formal ceremonies in the Rose Garden when the leader of our nation’s biggest ally paid us a visit.

In their first meeting, the two leaders exchanged gifts. According to Britain’s Daily Mail, Prime Minister Brown presented Obama with an oak pen holder carved from the wood of the HMS Gannet, a Royal Navy anti-slave ship launched in 1878. Obama was delighted with the gift because a desk made from the oak of the HMS Resolute, another Royal Navy ship, has set in the Oval Office since 1880. Brown also gave Obama a framed commission for the HMS Resolute and a first-edition copy of the biography of Winston Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.

What did President Obama present Brown in return? (Drum roll please.) A 25 DVD set of classic American movies, reportedly containing movies like E.T., The Godfather and The Wizard of Oz. Not quite a piece of history is it?

Mr. Brown and his wife also brought gifts for the Obama children, Sasha and Malia, giving them dresses from the trendy British clothing store Topshop, along with a collection of books from British authors. The Brown’s have children as well, and the Obama’s returned the favor by giving their two sons toy models of Marine One, the presidential helicopter, likely plucked from the White House gift shop at the last minute.

Needless to say, British media is appalled by both the lack of formality in the visit and the lack of thought in the Obama gifts.

“President Obama has been rudeness personified towards Britain,” remarked The Daily Telegraph on Friday. “His handling of the visit of the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to Washington was appalling.”

Wasn’t it Obama who was supposed to restore our international reputation? Wasn’t he the one who accused President Bush of tarnishing America’s image worldwide? Well, you’re off to a great start there Mr. President. What happened? I guess that was just another one of those broken campaign promises, huh? What are we up to now, a couple dozen of those?

You know, I can’t really say that I blame the British for being upset. Brown deserved more respect than that. After all, this is the ally who stood by us in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, even though it was unpopular with their people at home. They could have easily bailed on us, but like a good friend they stood by our side. We may not be so lucky in the future if this first meeting is any indication of our President’s treatment toward the UK. I’m sure when Obama sits down with Iran’s President Ahmadinejad, the gifts will be much more thoughtful…probably Obama’s own personal copy of the Koran.