I know that being a politician is all about giving the right gift. You want to impress your counterparts with your knowledge, your thoughtfulness and well if nothing else woo them. You want the gift to send the a message. The message has got to be the right message or else what is the point. It is proper gift edicate to give a gift that is appropriate and that is researched. You don’t want to be embarrased by giving the wrong gift.
It appears that the Obamas sent the Secret Service on a late night run to Walmart for some last minute gifts. Well it appears that no one taught the President and First Lady the proper gift edicate. The right gift should be researched and chosen appropriately for the receiver.
And who was the victim of suc a gift? President and Mrs Barack Obama recently gave DVD’s as a gift to the Prime Minister of Great Britain. According to Britian’s Newspaper The Daily Mail the DVD’s included the following:
| 1. Citizen Kane | 2. The Godfather | 3 Casablanca |
| 4. Raging Bull | 5. Singin’ in the Rain | 6. Gone with the Wind |
| 7. Lawarance of Arabia | 8. Schindler’s List | 9.Vertigo |
| 10. The Wizard of Oz | 11. City Lights | 12. The Searchers |
| 13. Star Wars IV | 14. Physco | 15. 2001: A Space Odyssey |
| 16. Sunset Boulevard | 17. The Graduate | 18. The General |
| 19. On The Waterfront | 20. It’s a Wonderful Life | 21. Chinatown |
| 22. Some Like it Hot | 23. The Grapes of Wrath | 24. ET: The Extra-Terrestrial |
| 25. To Kill A Mocking Bird | Â | Â |
Ok even I would not have given the gift of DVD’s.
And what did the Prime Minister of the second great super power give? The Prime Minister gave Mr Obama an ornamental pen holder made from the timbers of the Victorian anti-slave ship HMS Gannet.The unique present delighted Mr Obama because oak from the Gannet’s sister ship, HMS Resolute, was carved to make a desk that has sat in the Oval Office in the White House since 1880.Mr Brown also handed over a framed commission for HMS Resolute and a first edition of the seven-volume biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.
In addition, Mr Brown and his wife showered gifts on the Obama children giving Sasha and Malia an outfit each from Topshop and six children’s books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America.
In return, the Obamas gave the Browns two models of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, to take home to sons Fraser and John. What the hell? Two model helicopters.
I guess when the economy is tight and you have mortgaged the next two generations of US Taxpayers, skimping on gifts might be the right move.
