Obama phones Britain's PM Brown to disprove any rookie snub

Welcome back to those readers who've been recently consumed by Melissa getting "the shaft" from Jason over on "The Bachelor" and those tracking the bofo efforts by President Obama's staff and ex-Clinton cohorts to boost Rush Limbaugh's radio ratings and earnings.

In an effort to follow the president's suggestion that they not check their dismal 401(k)s all the time because, he says, markets fluctuate, many politics followers over here have been watching the simmering flap over the perceived snub of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown by the White House, suspecting it was another rookie mistake by a president who hired Hillary Clinton to handle all that foreign stuff.

Some sensitive Brits, who recall that Brown dropped everything to provide that happy walking photo op during Obama's European campaign swing last summer (see above), think that Obama, the son of a Kenyan whose homeland had a bloody colonial parting with Britain many years ago, meeting with Mexico's president before his inauguration, traveling to Canada on his first foreign trip, having Japan's prime minister over to the White House already, sending Hillary to Asia first, schmoozing with ex-PM Tony Blair at the National Prayer Breakfast, removing the Winston Churchill gift bust from the Oval Office and refusing to schedule a full-fledged side-by-side news conference with Brown that would look great on TV back home where Brown faces elections next year after the Brit was so effusive in his not-exactly-nonpartisan praise for Obama during the U.S. campaign is some kind of slight toward British leaders, who've been nothing but publicly stalwart toward the former American rebels for generations.

Passing press chatter, especially in the British press, is one thing. And Obama denied any snub at length here.  But a rousing standing ovation for Brown's speech to a joint session of Congress (see C-SPAN video on the jump below), where the prime minister named Obama mentor Sen. Edward Kennedy an honorary knight, may have caused second thoughts.

So the new president phoned Brown today for a chummy chat, the chummiest details of which were reported defensively by the White House in what's called "a readout," a summary description. Here's the complete readout:

READOUT ON THE PRESIDENT’S CALL TO PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN OF ENGLAND

The president called Prime Minster Brown today at approximately 3 p.m.  In a call that lasted about 10 minutes, the president congratulated the prime minister on his speech to Congress and expressed his appreciation for a very productive visit. 

The president also thanked the prime minister for the gifts he presented to him: a pen holder carved from the timbers of the HMS Gannet, which was a sister ship of the HMS Resolute, and first edition biography of Winston Churchill. The president noted that the pen set is being displayed on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office and the books are in the president’s personal study adjoining the Oval Office.

The president and the prime minister discussed that the first lady and Mrs. Brown had a warm and personal visit, as well. The president closed the conversation by stating that he looked forward to seeing the prime minister in London in early April.

So everything's fine here.  Move along.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[J kerr]

Too the people of america, well the 5 who are interested in our primeminister. We did not elect him, he helped create your problems by deregulatingthe stock exchange in London and helped the whole "mortgage boom" along to save his own economic kneck, anyone can look proserous when banks are handing out money like sweeties.

Can Scotland please get a unitied nations envoy?

[James]

Prime minister of England? Since when did the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish get independence?

[Charlie Bowen]

Well, things are not fine. This was a very embarassing episode. Yes, President Obama is inexperienced but common sense would tell you that Britan and the US are the strongest of allies. And on top of this, his return gift was 45 DVDS. You are given a piece of history and think DVDS are the same. Very inexperienced in many ways.

[Name Supplied]

Not quite fine. The gifts presented by Brown were returned with a 25 disc DVD box set from Obama: hardly the same as a ship whose former name was HMS president.

Obama obviously appreciates the significance of the string of moves; the choice to have a sit-down talk instead of a press conference, the choice of gift and the not quite so warm deameanour towards brown. While these may be called minor issues in light of the present economic situation, it would be naive to suggest that international politics is not to a considerable extent a question of personalities and how they get on. As a UK citizen (something that jarred me slightly; imagine Obama being called the President of Washington?) I fear for the "special" relationship's future...

[Kelsey]

Does anyone think that the media focused far too much on the novelty idea that Obama "snubbed" the Prime Minister? I, for one, would have liked to hear how well the meeting went instead of how the White House wasn't decorated the way Bush did with Blair or that the podiums weren't garnished with American and British flags. The gift exchange and Prime Minister reception was a little sloppily done by President Obama's Public Affairs professionals, but I am embarrassed it has garnished this much media attention when there are more pressing issues at hand. I found a video site that incorporates global perspectives about this issue. It's interesting to see international opinions about the Prime Ministers visit.

http://tinyurl.com/be7c9d

[baddadd]

why didint you finish the gift part, like the fact Brown took the time to give very thoughtful gifts to the obamas and what did they give in return? the obamas gave Gordon Brwon a boxset of classic American dvd's and two toy helicopters, and even worse the Brits gave us a bust of Winston Churchill and the obamas were asked if they wanted to keep in the oval office and obama said no you can have it back, no class in the White House

[Jon Weiss]

The days of President Bush being an embarrassment to the U.S., due to his speaking style, and gunboat diplomacy, are apparently not over. Now we have a President who is equally inept at soft glove diplomacy.

President Obama, first stabs our ally Britain in the eye by sending back a very nice gift of a bust of one of Britain's great leaders, he follows that super-gaffe with another display of his Ghetto mentality in pawning off a set of DVD's that could be bought on Amazon for $20.00.

Some in the US consider Obama a great leader.

I find him to be a great embarrassment to my country.

To the people of Great Britain...My most sincere apologies.

[JTHM]

What is really striking is the how this story is pushed way way on the back burner. How dare the Messiah make a faux pau and report on what an idiot he is. If this were Bush it would have Headline News followed by name calling an comparing him to a Monkey. No mention that the Prime Ministers wife spent time and great expence on the little Whitehouse darlings dresses and jewerly. In return, the Elegant and Fashion Angel 1st Lady ( Michelle) bought the English kids a TOY AIRPLANE from the Whitehouse Giftshop.
Real class acts they are, real class.

[Gail]

I am thoroughly embarassed by Obama's shabby treatment of PM Brown who, regardless of his personal popularity back in the UK, IS the represenattive of our greatest and most faithful ally. Britain deserves far better from us.

[Scott]

This is all about gifts of state. Its not like the president gets to keep them, Its just crap that goes into some museum for historical posterity. I think that Obamas gift was more thoughtful and personal. I actually wonder if Brown in this case is allowed to keep the gifts, since they were personal gifts.

[Cemar]

For all of the obvious partisans who hate Obama and wish to try to use this to make something out of nothing, the bust of Churchill was a LOAN from a private citizen of the UK to President Bush. It was meant to be returned.

Obviously this was not an equal exchange and even if, as many have made the case, that there was some message in the inequality of the gifts, it should have been handled better. That said, my British friends think that this is a tempest in a teapot, stirred up by people who would rather talk about these types of meaningless things rather than actual problems like the military and economic quagmire left over from the previous US administration, abetted by the previous UK administration.

[RCacopardo]

Anyone who thinks the DVDs were an acceptable gift from the POTUS to a leader of another country must be a child. In the real world there is protocol to follow...DVDs are NOT more personal than a pen made out of the same wood as the historic desk in the Oval Office. Get a grip and read more than the LA Times and People magazine. Read your history books...learn something about the way the world operates. No matter what poliitcal party they have belonged to previous administrations have followed protocol. Who is in charge in this administration? Obama has continued to blunder about protocol...read what they've done with the head of Brazil....mispelled his name etc. The is amateur hour---and it IS an embarrassment!