Obama the Cheapskate

**ckn** · March 6th, 2009, 11:22 AM

Hot Air Blog Archive Obama the Cheapskate: 25 DVDs for Gordon Brown?

First Lady Michelle Obama shows even she has a gift for the gaffe - Times Online

Has Auld Acquaintance Been Forgot? Much Abides

I do believe I'm starting to go off Obama...

A very pissy way to treat a "friend". The USA doesn't have that many true friends that it can afford its President to piss one off just because he can.

**sucher67** · March 6th, 2009, 12:10 PM

I am lost by this. Do you mean the gifts from the USA should have been more expensive?

And, what is the story about the bust of Winston Churchill? Was it on loan or not?

**wil** · March 6th, 2009, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sucher67

And, what is the story about the bust of Winston Churchill? Was it on loan or not?

It was on loan. Bush displayed it in the Oval Office. The Brits offered to let Obama hang onto it as well and he basically said... "Meh... you can have it back."

Barack Obama sends bust of Winston Churchill on its way back to Britain - Telegraph

**wil** · March 6th, 2009, 12:51 PM

Watch out CKN my friend... Saint X or one of the other Obamapologists will be coming along any time to post a link to an article explaining how there have been times when the Brits have dissed our presidents past. Or it will all be the Bush administration's fault somehow, like maybe when they left office they removed all the really cool stuff from the gift shop.

As for me... I don't think there is any mystery as to my opinions on President Obama.

If I were a British citizen, I would be offended. I had a coworker who I thought was a friend. They seriously backstabbed me and I have pretty much never associated with them again.

I have actually read some articles (don't have the links right now, but I'll look for them) where some believe that since Grodon Brown is unpopular in his own country that Obama does not need to go out of his way to show respect. That to me is just some liberal rationalization to say it's OK for Obama to be a dillhole.

**ckn** · March 6th, 2009, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sucher67

I am lost by this. Do you mean the gifts from the USA should have been more expensive?

And, what is the story about the bust of Winston Churchill? Was it on loan or not?

Tradition is in the diplomatic circles that you give good, well thought out gifts, especially on the first formal meeting as leaders. The leaders themselves obviously don't go out present hunting but they are responsible for the final approval of the gift. It's usually a gift of equals, even if they're not. Once past that first meeting then you can go onto giving more personal and smaller gifts, for example, one Christmas Bush & Blair exchanged sweaters.

When George W Bush & Tony Blair first met they gave each other very well thought out gifts even though in most matters they're politically poles apart. Bush is an avowed Churchill "fan" so got lots of Churchill type gifts plus the loan of the bust, although the bust was given as an indefinite loan to the Office of the US President rather than Bush himself.

Everything from the snub of refusing a formal press conference to cutting down the entire meeting between them to less than an hour rather than the usual full day to giving naff DVDs to someone who doesn't watch many movies is a mark of arrogance that I didn't think Obama had in him.

The address to both Congress and Senate was a good touch but that was an invite from the Houses rather than anything to do with Obama's administration.

I know that Brown is on his way out and is deeply unpopular here but even Bush and Blair became friends despite Blair making it clear he wanted Gore to win in 2000.

**mooshue** · March 6th, 2009, 01:46 PM

i don't really follow what the hell is going on here, but let em try to understand.
Our economy and every citizen is in a financial hardship right now. Obama does the standard meet and greet with the british leader, who in the past exchanged these lavish unnecessary gifts with each other. Obama goes the cheap non wastefull route instead of wasting even more tax money on gifts for other crap, and you are offended? Whose pocket do you assume these gifts come from? The president? HA

Everyone wants something for nothing

PS... i dont care if it was obama, bush, roosevelt,.... if our own country is in the financial shitter, lavish gifts should not be given to anyone.

**sucher67** · March 6th, 2009, 01:47 PM

Realistically, what do you think it means politically? (Please, no answers like "obama is the devil and a secret communist.") Since these are diplomatic signals, what does it mean for Britain?

The view in Germany is that Britain would always go along with whatever the USA wants and vice versa, because of a long cultural history. More specifically, the UK would turn its back on Europe to do as the USA would prefer.

I do not see how the ritual of exchanging gifts or returning the Churchill bust will change that.

**wil** · March 6th, 2009, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooshue

i don't really follow what the hell is going on here, but let em try to understand.
Our economy and every citizen is in a financial hardship right now. Obama does the standard meet and greet with the british leader, who in the past exchanged these lavish unnecessary gifts with each other. Obama goes the cheap non wastefull route instead of wasting even more tax money on gifts for other crap, and you are offended? Whose pocket do you assume these gifts come from? The president? HA

Everyone wants something for nothing

PS... i dont care if it was obama, bush, roosevelt,.... if our own country is in the financial shitter, lavish gifts should not be given to anyone.

I understand where you are coming from. But considering that one of the major things that Obama campaigned on was how he would get the world to love the USA again. Dissing our allies might not be the best way to start.

Plus I'm not sure if the lavishness of the gifts is the main issue. There was ZERO thought behind them. Hmm... let's give Gordon Brown a bunch of DVD's. Oh, it turns out he doesn't watch movies. That makes it a crap gift at $5 or $5000. Oh... we need something for his kids... hey Joe, run down to the gift shop and get 2 toy Marine Ones. Those Brown kids will love playing with Obama's chopper... they'll probably want to pretend they are him.

Consider this... If someone gives me a $500 pair of socks I would do the "oh... socks... thanks..." because that is a crappy gift. I would prefer they go to a garage sale and find a CD I like for $1.

Just my 2 cents.

**varbo** · March 6th, 2009, 04:04 PM

I agree with wil here. There's a big difference between being thrifty and being insulting. For example, Obama probably has the ability to get his hands on a whole bunch of stuff that he could probably get for free and would have great scentimental value to britain but instead he gives them something that he probably got from Phil in Accounting in last year's secret Santa. You must wonder if he himself is being a dumbass or if his advisors are giving him really crappy advice.

**wil** · March 6th, 2009, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by varbo

I agree with wil here.

It takes a brave man to admit to that around here.

**A1food4U** · March 6th, 2009, 04:29 PM

As a matter of good form, with all the information available to him you'd think he could do better than the CD's and toys. I agree with Wil too. One of the best gifts I have gotten was a bunch of old beat up fishing lures from my wifes grand father. He new I liked fishing and that these were no longer being made, it meant something to both of us. I'm not miffed at the price spent, as Varbo said, he has a nations gross product to choose from, a little more research could have been done, or do you think he's disbanded the CIA, FBI, NSA and all other information gathering branches?

**wil** · March 6th, 2009, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A1food4U

I agree with Wil too.

Another guy taking the plunge...

I crack myself up.

**mooshue** · March 6th, 2009, 07:45 PM

what happens to "its the thought that counts"
the fact that he felt obligated to bring a gift just like we all do when we get invited to parties and such. You have no idea what the person wanted, they should in good taste accept whatever you bring them, thank the other person and just toss it after they leave if they don't like it.
While some say it was bad taste to get cheap ass gifts, i say its bad taste to complain about free shit you get as a gift, regardless of what it is.

**wil** · March 6th, 2009, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooshue

what happens to "its the thought that counts"
the fact that he felt obligated to bring a gift just like we all do when we get invited to parties and such. You have no idea what the person wanted, they should in good taste accept whatever you bring them, thank the other person and just toss it after they leave if they don't like it.
While some say it was bad taste to get cheap ass gifts, i say its bad taste to complain about free shit you get as a gift, regardless of what it is.

I would say that only counts if there is actually thought put into it.

If someone gives me cologne, I'm going to think they're a tool because I NEVER wear cologne.

If someone gives me a Baltimore Ravens jersey, I'm going to think they're a tool because I am a Steelers fan and as such I despise the Ravens.

If someone gives me "The Audacity of Hope", I'm going to think they're a tool because... well... no explanation necessary.

As for the party reference... that kind of thing is a no-brainer... take some wine or a marble rye.

**ckn** · March 9th, 2009, 07:27 AM

Telegraph Article (for interest, the Telegraph is the most solidly anti-EU and pro-USA of our quality broadsheet newspapers)

Quote:

Barack Obama 'too tired' to give proper welcome to Gordon Brown
Barack Obama's offhand approach to Gordon Brown's Washington visit last week came about because the president was facing exhaustion over America's economic crisis and is unable to focus on foreign affairs, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.

By Tim Shipman in Washington
Last Updated: 10:03PM GMT 07 Mar 2009

Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been "overwhelmed" by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.

British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.

But Washington figures with access to Mr Obama's inner circle explained the slight by saying that those high up in the administration have had little time to deal with international matters, let alone the diplomatic niceties of the special relationship.

Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president's surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.

A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama's inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to "even fake an interest in foreign policy".

A British official conceded that the furore surrounding the apparent snub to Mr Brown had come as a shock to the White House. "I think it's right to say that their focus is elsewhere, on domestic affairs. A number of our US interlocutors said they couldn't quite understand the British concerns and didn't get what that was all about."

The American source said: "Obama is overwhelmed. There is a zero sum tension between his ability to attend to the economic issues and his ability to be a proactive sculptor of the national security agenda.

"That was the gamble these guys made at the front end of this presidency and I think they're finding it a hard thing to do everything."

British diplomats insist the visit was a success, with officials getting the chance to develop closer links with Mr Obama's aides. They point out that the president has agreed to meet the prime minister for further one-to-one talks in London later this month, ahead of the G20 summit on April 2.

But they concede that the mood music of the event was at times strained. Mr Brown handed over carefully selected gifts, including a pen holder made from the wood of a warship that helped stamp out the slave trade - a sister ship of the vessel from which timbers were taken to build Mr Obama's Oval Office desk. Mr Obama's gift in return, a collection of Hollywood film DVDs that could have been bought from any high street store, looked like the kind of thing the White House might hand out to the visiting head of a minor African state.

Mr Obama rang Mr Brown as he flew home, in what many suspected was an attempt to make amends.

The real views of many in Obama administration were laid bare by a State Department official involved in planning the Brown visit, who reacted with fury when questioned by The Sunday Telegraph about why the event was so low-key.

The official dismissed any notion of the special relationship, saying: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment." The apparent lack of attention to detail by the Obama administration is indicative of what many believe to be Mr Obama's determination to do too much too quickly.

In addition to passing the largest stimulus package and the largest budget in US history, Mr Obama is battling a plummeting stock market, the possible bankruptcy of General Motors, and rising unemployment. He has also begun historic efforts to achieve universal healthcare, overhaul education and begin a green energy revolution all in his first 50 days in office.

The Sunday Telegraph understands that one of Mr Obama's most prominent African American backers, whose endorsement he spent two years cultivating, has told friends that he detects a weakness in Mr Obama's character.

"The one real serious flaw I see in Barack Obama is that he thinks he can manage all this," the well-known figure told a Washington official, who spoke to this newspaper. "He's underestimating the flood of things that will hit his desk." A Democratic strategist, who is friends with several senior White House aides, revealed that the president has regularly appeared worn out and drawn during evening work sessions with senior staff in the West Wing and has been forced to make decisions more quickly than he is comfortable.

He said that on several occasions the president has had to hurry back from eating dinner with his family in the residence and then tucking his daughters in to bed, to conduct urgent government business. Matters are not helped by the pledge to give up smoking.

"People say he looks tired more often than they're used to," the strategist said. "He's still calm, but there have been flashes of irritation when he thinks he's being pushed to make a decision sooner than he wants to make it. He looks like he needs a cigarette."

Mr Obama was teased by the New York Times on Thursday in a front page story which claimed to have detected a greater prevalence of grey hairs since he entered the White House.

The Democratic strategist stressed that Mr Obama's plight was nothing new. "He knew it was going to be tough; he said as much throughout the campaign. But there's a difference between knowing it is going to be tough and facing the sheer relentless pressure of it all."

Let's just highlight one bit that almost had me kicking my computer out the window when I read it:

Quote:

The real views of many in Obama administration were laid bare by a State Department official involved in planning the Brown visit, who reacted with fury when questioned by The Sunday Telegraph about why the event was so low-key.

The official dismissed any notion of the special relationship, saying: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment."

Fine. Mr Obama and your government (Note, not the USA) you can f*** right off next time you come asking for favours in Afghanistan or Iraq. Next time you ask for over 50,000 of our troops to risk their lives to help US foreign policy you can just f*** off, go ask the French or Germans and see if they'll do more than send a couple of regiments as "observers". Go ask the Chinese or Russians for help if they get the same level of "treatment". Go find any other nation where the leader is willing to put their entire career on the line to back an unpopular US decision as Blair did over Iraq.

Arsehole.

**wil** · March 9th, 2009, 08:10 AM

I read that article this morning.

And here is a quick commentary on it by someone at National Review Online (granted some here will dismiss the commentary offhand due to the source, but, hey, oh well)...

Quote:

'Obama is overwhelmed.'

Perhaps it's just some Obama ally speaking out of school. But these are probably some of the most terrifying words to come from an unidentified source in some time:

Quote:

Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been "overwhelmed" by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.

British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.

But Washington figures with access to Mr Obama's inner circle explained the slight by saying that those high up in the administration have had little time to deal with international matters, let alone the diplomatic niceties of the special relationship.

Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president's surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.

A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama's inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to "even fake an interest in foreign policy".

A British official conceded that the furore surrounding the apparent snub to Mr Brown had come as a shock to the White House. "I think it's right to say that their focus is elsewhere, on domestic affairs. A number of our US interlocutors said they couldn't quite understand the British concerns and didn't get what that was all about."

The American source said: "Obama is overwhelmed. There is a zero sum tension between his ability to attend to the economic issues and his ability to be a proactive sculptor of the national security agenda.

"That was the gamble these guys made at the front end of this presidency and I think they're finding it a hard thing to do everything."

It's at moments like this I'm reminded of this assessment of Obama, back in 2007: "I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."

That assessment came from . . . Vice President Joe Biden.

03/08 12:26 PM

**wil** · March 10th, 2009, 03:49 PM

Here is a portion of a recent article that comments some more on Obama’s lameness regarding the gift exchange with Gordon Brown.

Quote:

The Great Destabilization
Can America, the engine of the global economy, pull the rest of the world out of the quicksand?

By Mark Steyn

British prime minister Gordon Brown thought long and hard about what gift to bring on his visit to the White House last week. Barack Obama is the first African-American president, so the prime minister gave him an ornamental desk-pen holder hewn from the timbers of one of the Royal Navy’s anti-slaving ships of the 19th century, HMS Gannet. Even more appropriate, in 1909 the Gannet was renamed HMS President.

The president’s guest also presented him with the framed commission for HMS Resolute, the lost British ship retrieved from the Arctic and returned by America to London, and whose timbers were used for a thank-you gift Queen Victoria sent to Rutherford Hayes: the handsome desk that now sits in the Oval Office.

And, just to round things out, as a little stocking stuffer, Gordon Brown gave President Obama a first edition of Sir Martin Gilbert’s seven-volume biography of Winston Churchill.

In return, America’s head of state gave the prime minister 25 DVDs of “classic American movies.”

Evidently, the White House gift shop was all out of “MY GOVERNMENT DELEGATION WENT TO WASHINGTON AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT” T-shirts. Still, the “classic American movies” set is a pretty good substitute, and it can set you back as much as $38.99 at Wal-Mart: Lot of classics in there, I’m sure — Casablanca, Citizen Kane, The Sound of Music — though this sort of collection always slips in a couple of Dude, Where’s My Car? 3 and Police Academy 12 just to make up the numbers. I’ll be interested to know if Mr. Brown has anything to play the films on back home, since U.S.-format DVDs don’t work in United Kingdom DVD players.

Link to full article:
The Great Destabilization by Mark Steyn on National Review Online

And another blog post from Mark Steyn commenting on how he expected the Obama administration to be on top of everything…
Note: There have been some differing views on some issues among the NRO bloggers Victor Davis Hanson, Mark Steyn, and David Frum.

Quote:

Re: The "They did it" presidency [Mark Steyn]

Victor, I have to say the first six weeks of the Age of the Hopeychange have surprised me. I expected it to be bad, but I didn't expect it to be so incompetent. Not because I had any expectations of President Obama's executive skills: As I said back in the fall re the comparisons with Governor Palin, Barack ain't run nuthin' but his mouth. This is the first real job he's had where you're supposed to show up at nine in the morning and make decisions.

So I had no expectations about his executive competency. But I assumed he had folks around him who could take care of that kind of stuff - that he'd be the smiley-face hopeychange frontman on an ideologically disastrous but ruthlessly efficient team. I figured he'd have a Deputy Assistant Associate Secretary of whatever who'd know what the form was for a prime ministerial visit by a close ally, and an Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary who wouldn't compound the gaffes by telling Fleet Street who cares about the Brits anyway. I expected he'd have an Assistant Associate Deputy Secretary who'd know that Russo-American relations weren't the proper forum for lame prop gags, and a Deputy Associate Assistant Secretary who, once the decision were taken to go ahead with the lame prop gag, would at least be able to translate correctly one single word from English to Russian.

What happened? Where's his team? It's not like 2005, when the Senate Dems were holding up Condi and vetoing Bolton. Senate Republicans would be happy just to rubberstamp one big photocopied [INSERT NAME OF NOMINEE HERE] form. But, as many have noted, the soi-disant "smoothest transition in history" ground to a halt the moment Bush flew off to Crawford.

Perhaps, in his hectic round of promotional interviews, David Frum could find time - just for eight or nine seconds, say - to offer some thoughts on why the President's administration is not as "honed" as his physique.

03/10 10:24 AM

**SAINT_X** · March 10th, 2009, 04:17 PM

...after eight years of Bush/Cheney/Rove and nary a peep from certain types about illegal war, torture, criminal politicization of all departments and agencies that cost not just treasure but lives...and incompetence promoted and celebrated at every level to the point of economic collapse that it will take YEARS to recover from, if we even can.........and ya'll decide to get cranked about a nothing story like this?
Sure..Bush loved nothing better than opting for the showy display when hard work needed to be done, do I need to remind anyone how the hell that turned out?
Yeah well....good luck with that kind of discernment, I'm sure you will once again wind up with the kind of government you deserve.

**wil** · March 10th, 2009, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAINT_X

...after eight years of Bush/Cheney/Rove and nary a peep from certain types about illegal war, torture, criminal politicization of all departments and agencies that cost not just treasure but lives...and incompetence promoted and celebrated at every level to the point of economic collapse that it will take YEARS to recover from, if we even can.........and ya'll decide to get cranked about a nothing story like this?
Sure..Bush loved nothing better than opting for the showy display when hard work needed to be done, do I need to remind anyone how the hell that turned out?
Yeah well....good luck with that kind of discernment, I'm sure you will once again wind up with the kind of government you deserve.

Hey... Saint my ole buddy ole pal... you have been quiet lately. Busy trying to figure out how to blame Bush for the stuff Obama and his merry band of world-savers have been up to?

**ckn** · March 10th, 2009, 05:57 PM

New York Post commentary

I'm developing a bit of a soft spot for the Republican/right-wing part of the USA after reading all the pro-UK bits on the blogs on that National Review site.

At least some of the USA "gets it".

I remember a strangely chilly night in Saudi Arabia in very early 1991 before we launched the assault on Iraq having a chat and a cigar on a rooftop with an American Colonel. We essentially said, "well, here's our two nations going in harm's way again side by side". If the likes of Obama and his idiot advisers get their way that relationship could be badly damaged.

The UK government is due to change next year and will almost undoubtedly be the Conservative party who have a historical link with the Republican party, I can't see Obama being any friendlier with them than the traditional Democrat allies of the current government's Labour party.