May 24, 2011 - 5:53 pm
Bryan, I’m not sure how much of that botched toast was Obama’s fault – it seemed to me that the band thought “To her majesty the Queen” was the extent of Obama’s toast, and started up too soon. Whatever, I thought he rescued it pretty well – in fact, speaking as an Englishman I found the spectacle of Obama quoting Shakespeare, his voice soaring above the opening bars of God Save the Queen as he struggled to make himself heard, rather stirring. Which would make this the first time an Obama speech has left me anything other than cold or enraged.
If I remember my protocols correctly, “To her Majesty, the Queen.”, is a traditional toast. The band is required to salute her at that point (play God Save the Queen). If you want to avoid that, then you save the salute for last. That is why the Queen was stony and would not look at Obama. It was just abysmally amateurish. (I could be misremembering, being a Yank and all.)
This is not the first time that Protocols has really muffed it. We have children running our government. If they do not know these things, they really should check with their counterparts in the British government, so as to avoid giving offense. “We want to use this toast. Would you kindly give it a look, please?” Unfortunately, these juveniles think they know everything. The barbarians are squatting in the Whitehouse.
I do not like Obama, but I really get no SchadenFreude from this. It just reinforces the stereotype of ‘the ugly American’. This doesn’t just hurt him. It does considerable damage to our image in the world by reinforcing a somewhat valid stereotype.
Here’s something I thought of over dinner. Palin has made foreign visits since the ’08 campaign ended. Hong Kong. India. Israel. In every case she has been received warmly, and there have been no such protocol gaffes. She does not even have her own State Department to assist her, and she simply gets it right. If she had ever gotten it wrong, we’d have heard endlessly about it.
Of course, Palin has the tremendous advantage of being a properly brought up woman. She is naturally warm towards, and respectful of, her hosts. Respect, and the resultant deep desire not to offend, is the same in any language.
I suspect she simply asks warmly how to do things so as not to offend, and they very happily explain things to her. (Who knows, maybe she writes it down on her palm?) She is just so likable, that she has them eating out of her hand.
… But she is the dumb one, and Obama is so smart. I weep for my country.
A properly brought up woman, naturally warm, and respectful. You said it, Marc Malone!
Okay, the clarification has been made. The intention to toast is announced, the music is played, THEN one makes the toast.
I did say I’m a Yank, right? And I have no local Brit to ask. Mea culpa.
Still, the point is valid. If you care enough, you’ll ask.
Of course having to read from notes a toast by the one the left wants us to believe is so smart seems a little odd. Can Obama remember even a few lines without notes or teleprompter?
Remember how they wanted to take on Palin for having a few words written on her hand?
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