President Obama gives the Queen an iPod
Written by Michael Vass
Perhaps I just don’t get it. Or President Obama is just really lousy at buying gifts. Either way I find his gift for Queen Elizabeth II to be pretty poor. He got her an iPod, inscribed and pre-loaded with songs, and a rare book of songs signed by Richard Rodgers.
The rare book sounds fine, but an iPod? Seriously. I hope that this gift at least had more forethought than the gift to the British Prime Minister. I hope that someone checked that the iPod could be used in England.
But this is just another item in a series of mistakes by President Obama. The apparent dearth of concern about presenting a proper gift to world dignitaries matches the dearth of investigation that the Obama Administration has placed in picking appointees. I am hard pressed to name anyone that did pay their taxes before becoming a nominee to his Administration.
Plus there is his focus on the issues at hand. President Obama has spoken with Russia about lowering nuclear arms levels, but not dealt with the aggressive nature of Russian actions, like the attempted takeover of Georgia last summer. He has spoke with China about placing pressure on Iran and the Sudan - which is about time - but glazed over their increase in carbon emission (a big issue for him) and human rights abuses.
More importantly there is the all important issue of the world economies. That’s why President Obama is in London. Yet he seems more involved in discussing less immediate issues with these world leaders.
European nations are pressing forward with demands that a world currency, not the dollar, be created and used. The Obama Administration has been attacked about its economic policies by everyone. Socialist nation, like France, to Communists, like China, have all rebuffed the economic claims and goals of the Obama Administration. In fact several nations in the G20 have outright declarations that they will not follow the proposals of the U.S. on how to address the economic crisis facing the world.
When the world tells you that your math doesn’t work, that your ideals are neither beneficial or feasible, do you really care about how much you are liked? Is the debate over the questionable existence of global warming really more important than keeping Americans in jobs? Is the lofty goal of creating green energy sources more important than keeping Americans in their homes and with food for their children? Is the potential of a global depression less important and immediate than international poll results?
Seriously, when the U.S. is asking to forgive and forget with the Taliban and Al Quida, if they promise to not attack us, I have to believe someone is out of touch with the reality of the situation. We are asking people that have a solid religious belief that requires the extermination of Americans and our way of life to stop current and future actions, because we asked them to. And this is the message of strength and leadership we place before the G20 as we also try to prevent the IMF from controlling our currency.
But I suppose this is exactly like giving the Queen an iPod, or the Prime Minister a bunch of DVD’s (that he can’t watch at home). Its a slipshod attempt at being likeable and missing the details. Its a way to distract people from the issue at hand. It’s an example of being in over your head and trying to hide that fact.
President Obama isn’t at the G20 to resolve the international economic crisis, he’s there to look good. And as Fernando (Billy Crystal’s Saturday Night Live character from the 80’s) once said
“It’s better to look good than feel good.”
President Obama seems to have taken that joke to heart.
