Where's the Protocol Office??

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by moe.ron

Never herd of multi-region DVD players?

I guess the author of that article isn't "smart enough" to have heard of that.

I think I have but had no idea what that meant.

So that makes the issue just about the DVDs as gifts.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Hayle, they could have just given PM Brown and his family some Obama campaign T-shirts/posters/memorabilia, which actually fetches quite a bit of money these days... LOL... At least Obama has a stash of that crap laying around there somewhere. Or at least the stuh is bootlegged somewhere... Good ole American Capitalism at its best! J/K... or not...

I read somewhere that it was requested from AFI, which, in that case, at least the AFI Top 25 are populated by great movies. Of course, including "The Big Lebowski" would also be a good idea, but far be it from me to give advice to the President.

[moe.ron]

I think the Big Lebowski should be a required gift to all visiting head of states, along with Dude, Where's My Car and Kingpin.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by moe.ron

I think the Big Lebowski should be a required gift to all visiting head of states, along with Dude, Where's My Car and Kingpin.

Well, you got 2 out of 3 right.

[moe.ron]

Originally Posted by KSigkid

Well, you got 2 out of 3 right.

I'm thinking you disagree with Dude, Where's My Car?

It's a classic man. Ok, what if I changed that movie with Half Baked?

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by moe.ron

I'm thinking you disagree with Dude, Where's My Car?

It's a classic man. Ok, what if I changed that movie with Half Baked?

I would be ok with that trade.

[deepimpact2]

Originally Posted by wrigley

I'd rather have President Obama give cheap gifts than spend a large amount of money for them in a time when there's the debt outstanding to think about.

Exactly. If he had given an extravagant gift, then people would have been shouting, screaming, hissing, and foaming at the mouth about THAT.

[deepimpact2]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

ETA: Maybe the Protocol Office was just following precedent. According to The Daily Mail, Bush gave Brown a fur-trimmed bomber jacket.

Interesting. Wonder why we never really heard much about that?

[deepimpact2]

Originally Posted by Coramoor

He is totally delusional and probably doesn't even understand why it has pissed people off.

You're right. He probably doesn't understand why it has pissed people off because he mistakenly thinks people have their minds on more important things.


With respect to the part of that article about First Lady Michelle giving the boys the helicopters, I fail to see the issue with that. Little boys tend to like those types of things. They wouldn't necessarily want clothes as a gift.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by deepimpact2

You're right. He probably doesn't understand why it has pissed people off because he mistakenly thinks people have their minds on more important things.


With respect to the part of that article about First Lady Michelle giving the boys the helicopters, I fail to see the issue with that. Little boys tend to like those types of things. They wouldn't necessarily want clothes as a gift.

Right, I was thinking the same thing. What else would be an appropriate gift for little boys? I actually think it's a little weird that they gave Sasha and Malia clothes. One of the articles I read on this actually had a comment from a reader adding, "A gift of clothes was probably seen as tacky by the Americans, so we're not ones to talk," or something to that effect.

I think the DVD gift would've been thoughtful if Brown was a movie buff. But by all accounts I've read so far, he's not. I do think people have radically underestimated how much that collection probably cost. I don't know why people think it would've been purchased for $19.95 at Wal-Mart. Last time I looked, Wal-Mart didn't carry Citizen Kane.

ETA: I'm more concerned that Obama returned the gift of the Churchill bust given to Bush by Tony Blair following 9/11. How tacky to give back any gift, particularly one from a foreign leader given as a symbol of solidarity!

[AKA_Monet]

Welp, they could have given him a Casino nights package at Caesar's Palace... A nice gift and supports the American economy at the same time! I can imagine that the slots would not be loose, though...

[AGDee]

GM Stock.. that's what we could've given him.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

ETA: I'm more concerned that Obama returned the gift of the Churchill bust given to Bush by Tony Blair following 9/11. How tacky to give back any gift, particularly one from a foreign leader given as a symbol of solidarity!

Ah, but it wasn't given to Bush. It was loaned:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/185839

Many other things were loaned to the White House during the Bush administration, as in any administration; part of the transition is to return these items. The Churchill bust was among these things. Although some vocal members of the British media complained about it, there were also several equally vocal Brits who wanted their bust back at once!

[deepimpact2]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Ah, but it wasn't given to Bush. It was loaned:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/185839

Many other things were loaned to the White House during the Bush administration, as in any administration; part of the transition is to return these items. The Churchill bust was among these things. Although some vocal members of the British media complained about it, there were also several equally vocal Brits who wanted their bust back at once!

Makes sense to me. People need to have the whole story before making judgment calls.

[aopirose]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Welp, they could have given him a Casino nights package at Caesar's Palace... A nice gift and supports the American economy at the same time! I can imagine that the slots would not be loose, though...

Bwahhahahaa