Bush's show of stupidity with the Queen

[La_Serpiente]

Texan on the Thames: President Bush Treated Royally

LONDON, Nov. 19 -- On a day when some vulgar Britons stomped on a cutout likeness of him and burned its dismembered head, President Bush compared his experience here to that of stuntman David Blaine, who suspended himself above the River Thames for six weeks without food.

<snip>

But here he was, seated next to the Queen of England, amid Corinthian columns and gold-enriched pilasters, before a red velvet throne used for the coronation of King Edward VII. The Yeomen of the Guard, with their red robes and long spears, stood at attention. The Puligny-Montrachet '96 was flowing. And the president was having trouble with the toasts.

The queen gave her toast, noting that, unlike presidents, she was not term-limited. The president smiled, Prince Charles did not. When the queen finished, the president raised his glass, but Her Majesty did not return the gesture, instead waiting for the American national anthem to begin. Hearing the music, Bush put down his glass and placed his hand on his heart, then took it off, then put it on again. "The Star-Spangled Banner" over, he clinked glasses with the queen, then turned to clink glasses with Princess Anne, who was already sipping from hers.

The awkwardness continued after Bush's toast, when he again picked up his glass to clink with the queen, who stood motionless, waiting for her own national anthem. Bush put his glass back down and, as the orchestra played "God Save the Queen," winked at somebody in the audience. Finally, the anthem finished, president and queen consummated their clinks.

more...

Texan on the Thames

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Good God. And this is our president? Didn't Barbara teach him any manners?

[Guaranteed]

1. Awww hell

Like I'D be able to do that. Give the guy a SMALL break.

P.S. He's still an idiot, though.

[Llyr21]

2. but...

Like I'D be able to do that. Give the guy a SMALL break.
Presumeably you do not have a staff of dozens of people, where at least one of them should be capable of running down down protocols for you to avoid such embarrassment.

[girl gone mad]

3. This is one case

where I actually have some sympathy for him.

who in their right mind could stand going through those hoity-toity royalty rituals?

[trumad]

4. He was probably informed of the traditions but still blew it!

I wonder if he asked the queen if there were any blacks in England?

[zbird]

14. It's his JOB to be able to do that.

He has protocol officers who brief him on the customs and procedures involved when visiting with heads of state (as well as others). Of course, since * views himself as "king of the world", he most likely does not think any of this pertains to him. I wonder if the Queen was amused.

[scarface2004]

5. then he farted!

aw shucks..you one ugly bitch! he sneered at the queen!

[jsw_81]

6. The worst part is at the end of the article

"And despite all the elaborate rituals and customs the president had to observe, the palace made certain accommodations to suit his tastes. The orchestra played 'King Cotton,' a Sousa march, and 'My Heart Will Go On,' the theme song from the movie 'Titanic.' And, just before the guests arrived, the palace butlers placed bottles of Coca-Cola alongside decanters of the queen's port."

Unbelieveable.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

7. why is that so bad?

at state dinners here in the US, it is customary to mix cultures and tastes. It may certainly seem hokey, but it is certainly not out of the ordinary.

TheProdigal

[La_Serpiente]

11. It is not everday

that the Queen invites heads of state for dinner.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

12. state dinners are ...

infrequent much of the time, but I am not sure what that has to do with the musical and cuisine selection. They are a general hassle for all involved...security, protocol droids, chefs, musicians, etc. But when they do happen, it is not uncommon for there to be a 'cultural exchange' where food, drink and entertainment from countries of all attendees is made available...yes, even coca-cola.

TheProdigal

edit : typical grammatical snafu

[jonoboy]

8. Ive never seen them looking so formal

Bush just doesn't get it..of all the state visits this has been the most formal and the message is..'we are just doing our job here and we hate it'

He always winks when he makes a mistake or is embarassed. Old show biz trick.

[areschild]

9. He even had to read

the toast. Did you notice he pulled out his little piece of paper, said about 10 words, then dropped the note on the table? This guy couldn't even ad lib a toast.

[incapsulated]

10. It could have been worse...

He could have vomited all over the Queen and fell over!

Ah, memories...

:evilgrin:

Edit: I am refering, of course, to his father's little faux pas in Japan, not my own memories of dinner with the Queen...

[dmr]

13. Well, decorum is not his forte

it's like trying to teach protocol to a three year old. Utter confusion! If Miss Manners were here she'd probably say he should have slipped his notes back into is pocket, impolite to just drop it on the table.

:shrug:

[soupkitchen]

15. Hey, the Queen was just glad he didn't vomit on her

Them Bush Presidents aren't known for their social graces after all.

[in_cog_ni_to]

16. Geez!

Just let me crawl under a table and hide in shame. He is so uncouth! I'm so embarrassed. Damn, what a fool. He shouldn't be excused for those faux pas'. He's the F**KING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! He , no doubt, was groomed on protocol and is too damn stupid to REMEMBER what he was suppose to do. He shames our country by being so f**cking ignorant.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

17. i'm no fan of his either...

but did you watch all the stuff that was going on? I mean, with all the pomp involved here it is not surprising to have some screw ups. Yes, he was probably coached, but to what degree we do not really know. Culutural faux paus are inevitable in situations like this. I teach people from all over the world and even some the hand gestures I make while talking (yep...I am one of those flamboyant speakers who cannot even think with my hands at my side) are terribly offensive to some...gotta watch your step, but graciously appologize when mistakes are made.

Not asking you to love King George here, but anyone could have made these mistakes...and many other heads of state have.

TheProdigal

[tinanator]

19. yeah, remember when President Clinton...

no, maybe it was Carter... no... maybe Reagan? no... um, bullshit. you need to be very embarassed right now, as should ALL Americans.

[in_cog_ni_to]

20. No, TheProdigal,

I never watch him on the tube. Watching him is like fingernails on a chalkboard. I can't stand it. He's an ignorant man and should not have been selected to be the president of our country in the first place. THIS is a perfect example of the man being out of his league. His league? A bar in Texas. That suits him just fine. He's an embarrassment. G-d knows he has had more than enough time to study up on Royal protocol while on his month long vacations. One would think he would take SOME pride in not embarrassing the citizens of this country, but then again, he doesn't give a crap what we think, does he?

I tend to give compassion where compassion is due. The man wasn't elected. He deserves NONE of my compassion or respect and will never get it.

[Gman]

23. NO! It's much worse that that

He was taught all of this from a young age but he never cared to learn any of it.

[izzie]

18. I must say the Queen always does it all in good taste.

She must be used to this by now.

[Gman]

21. He asked the queen in 1992 if she had any black sheep in her family

The last time he had dinner with the queen was when daddy was prez. He apparently embarrassed everyone by asking the queen this question. Barbara was floored and told the queen, "You don't have to answer that".
There's links about this out there.

So why is anyone even surprised this happened?

[Skittles]

22. BARBARA? TEACH HIM MANNERS?

that old hag is f***ing RUDE.