WASHINGTON DC, USA – The Obama administration is starting to get a bit of a reputation for incompetence. Not what we expected after such a seamless election campaign, but now they have got into power these guys keep making silly mistakes. The latest revelation about their bungling is particularly hilarious.
When Gordon Brown visited the White House a couple of weeks ago the mismatch between the gifts the two leaders exchanged seemed to reflect how they felt about each other.
Brown brought with him a specially carved pen holder made from the timbers of a British anti-slave ship – the sister ship to the one which provided the wood for the desk in the Oval Office. A very thoughtful, sincere and unique gift.
And one which we know does sit on Obama’s desk. When my colleagues Chris Shlemon and Dai Baker were in the Oval Office collecting White House News Photographers Awards, they saw it there.
But what did Obama give Brown? A box set of 25 Hollywood DVDs. It seemed like a slap in the face at the time but Brown put a brave face on it, claiming he was looking forward to watching Psycho.
But he won’t be able to. We now find out that all the DVDs are set to play only in North American or “region one” DVD players. And Brown does not possess a multi-region player. So his present is now useless as well as a little insulting.
Just try to imagine what we would be saying if George W Bush gave such a parochial, technologically incompetent and insensitive gift?
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To be fair, I find it hard to get my best friend a present of appropriate value, worth and intimacy. It must be pretty hard to do it for someone who you’ve never met before, and who has no discernible passions!
Jon – Yanks don’t normally travel so don’t realise there is more than one DVD system – the staffer did nothing insensitive – it was just incompetent.
To be fair, Psycho is a pretty good film …
Obama and Brown didn’t buy the presents. So who cares?
Truly inept. Part of being the commander in cheif is also being a statesman. To have this bafoon as our face to the world is truly embarrassing.
Perhaps, we should relegate Obaman to organizing communities and leaving the important stuff to others…oh that’s what he IS doing…
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