by It might be time for Obama to take a geography class. After the disturbing storming of the British Embassy in Tehran, President Barack Obama responded by condemning these actions. While his condemnation was expected and appreciated by those in Britain, his phrasing was not.
Press Conference Blunder
During the press conference, he referred to the Embassy as the “English Embassy” in Iran, rather than the British Embassy. The British Embassy, as anyone educated in these maters can explain, includes England, Scotland, Wales and part of Ireland. There isn’t an “English” embassy anywhere in the world, and that has been true for quite a few centuries now.
Another Blunder from 2009
This is not the first tension that the White House has created with Great Britain. In 2009, during British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s visit to the White House, he was virtually snubbed by President Barack Obama. While not granted a full blown press conference or a formal dinner, as is the custom, British officials were shocked by Obama’s treatment of their leadership.
While Mr. Brown, for instance, arrived with carefully thought out and beautifully meaningful gifts for Obama, Obama offered Brown a collection of Hollywood film DVDs in return. A State Department official, reacting with anger when news sources asked why the meeting was so low-key, said,
“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.”
And Another…
And who, of course, can forget the absolutely mortifying time in May of 2011 when President Obama toasted Queen Elizabeth, but failed to be quiet while the traditional song for her, “God Save the Queen,” was being played.
