iPod Shuffle

Someone at work said to me, "You"re just not happy with anything Obama does,a re you?" No, I am not and this latest gaffe in diplomacy just continues to demonstrate how classless this nimrod truly is.

On Wednesday, Obama stuck with a technology gift in paying a formal visit to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. But this time he added a more personal touch.The president, who was accompanied by the first lady, gave Her Majesty an iPod loaded with video and photographs of the queen's 2007 visit to Jamestown, Richmond and Williamsburg, Va.

Why is this gift inappropriate? Well, to begin, when presenting a gift, one should be thinking of the recipient. The recipient, in this case, is a woman over the age of 80 who is the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. There is a deference to be shown to her, and one does not do that by giving a gift of a personal nature. The Queen, I have read, is a very private person, and when she is functioning in her capacity as the reigning monarch, it is her expectation to be treated as such.

Obama could have had a lovely bound book of the photographs taken of the Queen during her Jamestown visit, with a special foreword or dedication written on behalf of the American people, thanking her for her historic visit. Indeed, when she came to visit, the State of Virginia presented her with a specially prepared gift basket of products made in Virginia - evidently, someone there could give more thought than Obama.

Also, this is not Barack Obama visiting the Queen . . . this is the President of the United States calling on Buckingham Palace. I would think a gift symbolic of the American people would be more appropriate, and especially to a woman of her age who would likely appreciate craftsmanship. There are a myriad of fine artisans in the United States.

I think it is tacky and I think it besmirches our country that the President cannot think beyond something that was likely picked up at Walmart, as I hear were the DVDs he presented to the British Prime Minister.

But it gets worse.

In addition to the photographs and videos, the iPod also included audio of Obama's past speeches and pictures from his Inauguration - you know, the one that occurred less than three months ago. How vain can he be?

I wonder if Her Majesty went upstairs to her bedroom afterwards, took out her photo album, and looked over old pictures of her and Ronald Reagan riding at his ranch in Santa Barbara. Maybe she closed the book, and called a friend - Nancy Reagan - to say, "How are you doing, my dear, I miss you . . ."