Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had frontpager, “Obama’s China Summit Ends On Awkward Diplomatic Note.” Accompanying the story was a photo of the President touring the Fobidden City with a few dozen Chinese diplomats and politicians. All of the Chinese leaders in the photo are wearing dark suits and ties — the President is wearing an open collared shirt and a leather jacket.
The President’s out-of-place attire isn’t the “awkward note” referred to in the headline, but it sure seems that way. Coming on the heels of the President’s deep bow to the Japanese emperor — while trying to shake his hand at the same time — one has to wonder, who exactly is handling protocol for the White House? Did they find them on Craigslist?
Let’s recap the number of cringe inducing gestures the White House has made:
–In March, the President gave the visiting English prime minsiter, Gordon Brown, a set of 25 DVDs. We hear that much like jazz music, this uniquely American art form is growing in popularity on the Continent. Even if the legally-blind Brown enjoyed watching films, it turns out that the DVDs presented to Brown use the Region 1 NTSC — techspeak for “won’t work in U.K. DVD players.” Even more embarassing is how thoughtful Gordon Brown’s gifts were:
Mr Brown’s gifts included an ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet, once named HMS President.
Mr Obama was so delighted he has already put it in pride of place in the Oval Office on the Resolute desk which was carved from timbers of Gannet’s sister ship, HMS Resolute.
Another treasure given to the U.S. President was the framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to symbolise Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria.
Finally, Mr Brown gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.
A couple of notes here: While the significance of the pen holder made from the anti-slaver is obvious, the story of the HMS Resolute and how it came to symbolize the 19th-century thawing of tension betwen the young American republic and it’s former ruling country is simply amazing and underscores how thoughtful Brown’s gift was. Further, take note of that last gift — Martin Gilbert’s Churchill biography. It’s a subtle slap at Obama for an impolitic gesture he made toward the U.K. the month prior:
A bust of the former prime minister once voted the greatest Briton in history, which was loaned to George W Bush from the Government’s art collection after the September 11 attacks, has now been formally handed back.
[SNIP]
The rejection of the bust has left some British officials nervously reading the runes to see how much influence the UK can wield with the new regime in Washington.
Now it is likely that Gordon Brown will offer a alternative symbol of Anglo-American fealty when he visits Washington to meet Mr Obama for the first time since he became President. Diplomats are still working to finalise a date for the visit which is expected in the final week of this month or early in March.
Note the prescient observation that “Brown will offer a alternative symbol of Anglo-American fealty.” Well-played, Mr. Prime Minister. But wait — there’s more! Fleet Street had a field day with this:
Equally insulting, decided the Times of London, was Michelle Obama’s “solipsistic” and “inherently dismissive” gifts to the Browns’ two little boys, Fraser and John.
The offending souvenirs? Toy models of Marine One, the President’s helicopter — gifts no doubt plucked from the White House gift shop at the last minute, The Times decided.
Brown’s wife, Sarah, by contrast arrived with dresses for Sasha and Malia from the UK’s trendy Top Shop (with matching necklaces) and a selection of books by British authors.
“A bit of thought had clearly gone into choosing them,” crowed The Daily Mail. “Lovely.”
Are you cringing yet? Well, in case you were wondering how the White House could further turn normally inconsequential geopolitical niceities into a full-blown goat rodeo, during the return visit to the U.K. in early April the Obama’s met with the Queen. The First Lady broke protocol by putting her hand on the queen’s back. And then the Obamas gifted the Queen an iPod. It was loaded with showtunes that the queen supposedly likes, but it also with the President’s speeches. Sure, she survived the Battle of Britain — but when it’s all about the O, you haven’t really lived until you’ve seen Obama’s 2004 address to the Democratic National Convention!
–In April, the President bowed to the Saudi king, while the White House denied he was bowing, ample photographic evidence to the contrary. Weirdly, after this denial the White House is defending the bow to the Japanese emperor as appropriate. The criticism has always been that it’s inappropriate for the leader of a nation that declares “all men are created equal” to bow before any head-of-state, let alone a monarch who has claims to power via divine right.
Now anyone of these things amounts to a problem, but when you look at all of the mistakes the White House has made when it comes to handling protocol it sure looks like the wheel at 1600 Pennsylvania is turning but the hamster is dead. Between the White House Social Secretary, Desirée Rogers, and Ambassador Capricia Penavic Marshall in Office of the Chief of Protocol at the State Department (who to be fair took over in August from acting Chief of Protocol Gladys Boluda) these gift and protocol issues are supposed to be taken care of. Clearly there’s been a big breakdown — though I will note Ms. Rogers sure seems to be good at getting flattering press from Washington’s fawning media establishment as a “brand promoter—casting the Obamas as occupants of a ‘People’s House.’”
A ‘people’s house’ where they bow to monarchs? Hmmm. Whatever the Obama branding strategy may be, all I know is that whenever the White House occupant meets with a foreign leader, it’s we the people who end up embarrassed.
