Video: Bush’s royal gaffe
posted at 8:54 am on May 8, 2007 by Allahpundit
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This wasn’t worth posting on the merits when it happened, but now the media’s trying to drum it up into some kind of minor international incident replete with regal “we are not amused” frosty glare. Drudge is actually leading at the moment with this dopey Daily Mail article, in which the queen allegedly greets Bush’s wink with an icy countenance while somehow magically teleporting from his left to his right.
Can’t tell much from the tape, but here it is anyway. She does look down, perhaps in embarrassment, as soon as he says “17–”. On the other hand, it seems like she’s only half-listening to what he’s saying, and when she suddenly finds him staring at her after saying “1976,” she blurts out what sounds like “good year” — which might mean that she didn’t hear the “17–” part at all and had no idea why he had paused to look at her, or might mean that she was so overcome with embarrassment that she couldn’t muster anything more clever than that.
Whatever the real reason, between him rubbing Merkel’s shoulders, chewing with his mouth open while talking to Blair, and grabbing Hu Jintao by the sleeve at the White House, I’d say we got off easy here.
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This is nothing. The Daily Mail article is indeed dopey (Allah as usual chooses the appropriate descriptor).
What the hell is wrong with winking? It’s an affectionate gesture, and often useful.
mikeyboss on May 8, 2007 at 9:00 AM
just another “bush-ism” for all the Bush haters out there. God Bless him.
mfnorman on May 8, 2007 at 9:02 AM
They were trumping up a “royal gaffe” before it ever happened. On our local morning news yesterday they were going through all the potential gaffes he could possible make. They didn’t even mention this one, so who are the losers now?
Editor on May 8, 2007 at 9:06 AM
Well, if there’s one thing I’ll miss about our President, it’s his Bush-isms. Classic.
pullingmyhairout on May 8, 2007 at 9:09 AM
Agreed! I loved it! As for HRMTQ, she’s probably still pissed because a) her horse lost at the Kentucky Derby (sorry, Your Majesty - “some gotta win, some gotta lose”) and/or b) that we beat the $h!+ out of England in a war.
SpartRan on May 8, 2007 at 9:17 AM
looks to me like she wasn’t even paying attention to his speech. she only got focused when he turned his head towards her and smiled, at which point she made a light-hearted comment and smiled back a genuine smile. what “frost” is the media talking about?
i’ve had the impression for a long time that the queen is completely out of it and is zoned out most of the time. she once came to Canada and was walking besides Paul Martin (ex-PM). he slipped and stumbled on the ice, and she didn’t even look at him, even though she was walking right beside him.
AlexB on May 8, 2007 at 9:20 AM
Bah, they were just waiting for some sort of impropriety with which to hammer him. Looks like she smiles to me.
SouthernDem on May 8, 2007 at 9:21 AM
Who gives a shit about the Royal Family anyway? Americans get so orgamsic about the Princess Diana’s of the world which totally baffles me. When the Queen starts earning an honest living then she should open her mouth.
Hilts on May 8, 2007 at 9:21 AM
Though this certainly breaks royal protocol, the queen is a class act and would not have responded to him negatively or positively.
This is a grueling tour for an 81 year-old woman and she probably did not notice or care.
Obviously more MSM BDS.
Valiant on May 8, 2007 at 9:28 AM
Hasn’t she always been kinda frosty?
vcferlita on May 8, 2007 at 9:30 AM
Our MSM at work. If it’s not really an international incident, then by golly we’re going to make it into one.
Lawrence on May 8, 2007 at 9:34 AM
To ALL the GWB detractors out there…GET A FREAKIN” LIFE !
I’m sure you are all mistake proof, your breath never smells bad, your shit don’t stink and you never have a bad hair day !
God, it must be hell to be perfect in every way !
DoctorDentons on May 8, 2007 at 9:40 AM
Isn’t ‘frosty’ a permanent genetic trait of British royalty? Or any royalty?
Valiant is on the money. She’s a bit old to be comfortably globetrotting at this point; cut then both some slack.
Penthesileia on May 8, 2007 at 9:42 AM
Oh, I thought u meant she looked like “Frosty”.. the snowman of course. I mean, all she needs is a corn cob pipe.
RobertCSampson on May 8, 2007 at 9:44 AM
Big deal to do about nothing
Wade on May 8, 2007 at 9:46 AM
This wasn’t worth posting on the merits when it happened
I watched the ceremony live, and it looked to me like the Queen enjoyed the moment. It definitely wasn’t “frosty.” Typical MSM b.s.
Blacksheep on May 8, 2007 at 9:48 AM
I originally saw this link from Drudge too, and saw the Daily Mail article, replete with pictures.
I know she’s the Queen and everything, but she’s got to learn to lighten up a little.
President Bush was clearly NOT trying to show any disrespect. Yeesh.
asc85 on May 8, 2007 at 10:06 AM
My gracious, it’s not like he puked on her.
Exactly right, DoctorD!
KelliD on May 8, 2007 at 10:10 AM
I’m sure the MSM was hoping for another Bush vomit moment.
This was all they could come up with? Totally lame.
Now, back to blaming Bush for the Greensburg disaster.
Geez, I couldn’t believe Blitzer, on CNN yesterday, was actually saying federal authorities could not respond fast enough because of the war in Iraq, blaming the problem on the deployment of National Guard troops overseas.
Let’s face it, there are now
four,three, two degrees of separation between President Bush and any natural disaster that hits our country. The MSM is so sickening, and obvious in their bias. Their hatred for this president is satanic.Oh, if we could only go back to the BJ Clinton years …. eight consecutive years free of hurricanes, floods and tornadoes.
fogw on May 8, 2007 at 10:11 AM
Just more proof that Liberals have no sense of humor.
William Teach on May 8, 2007 at 10:20 AM
I don’t care.
Even if the Daily Mail got it just right, it would still be a remarkably shallow thing to get exercised over. That, of course, is why it’s right up the MSM’s infantile alley.
Kensington on May 8, 2007 at 10:23 AM
I’m sorry, but this type of thing is what endears those who love Bush to him.
My wife said she “Knew she loved that man” when he was unabashedly doing the dance a week back.
-T
The Therapist on May 8, 2007 at 10:28 AM
IF it were hillary or Obama we wouldn’t even know this happened.
tomas on May 8, 2007 at 10:31 AM
I watched it live too, she didn’t even catch it. I wasn’t sure I had caught it either. I thought “Did he just say 17?” and then he corrected himself. She’s probably just now finding out about it and if she’s human, she thought it was funny. He may have even done it on purpose. At least he didn’t say “When the Queen arrived at Jamestown in 1607 … ooops.”
Tony737 on May 8, 2007 at 10:38 AM
I used to say the EXACT thing about The Royals, Hilts. I never understood the fascination with Di, and was amazed by the outpouring after her death. But where Di married INTO the family, Elizabeth was born into it (her uncle abdicated, leaving her father to take the crown - which he wasn’t strong enough to endure), and has had to carry it her whole long life - no choice. And she’s always done it with dignity.
There is a fantastic speech given by the actor playing Blair in THE QUEEN, that may just bring her position into sharper focus for you. This woman IS living history.
Imagine…she advised WINSTON CHURCHILL.
Now…that dimwit son of hers, is quite a different story entirely.
(Please don’t take my defense of her as a support of Monarchy…Doesn’t matter if it’s right…it just IS, historically speaking.)
tickleddragon on May 8, 2007 at 10:40 AM
And as to the “gaff”…I’m sure it meant nothing to E.R. Just another day, another national leader to her.
tickleddragon on May 8, 2007 at 10:43 AM
What did I miss? She thought nothing of it..
Pam on May 8, 2007 at 10:48 AM
Liberals are such all together silly people. They were so looking for an etiquette slip up that they totally missed something for the outrage crowd.
By him saying, “She gave me a look only a mother could give a child,” is saying that the U.S. is the offspring of England which totally ignores our multicultural blah blah blah.
- The Cat
MirCat on May 8, 2007 at 10:48 AM
“So, Liz… How long until young Bill is old enough to take over? I mean…You’re not gonna leave everything to that idiot son of yours, are ya?…”
mojo on May 8, 2007 at 10:56 AM
I’m Canadian, I love our Queen, and I thought it was cute. George Bush’s quick recovery and joke showed that he is not dimwitted at all. Perhaps that’s why some media tried to make this into something it wasn’t.
Josephine on May 8, 2007 at 11:14 AM
I believe we stopped worrying all that much about the Monarch a few hundred years ago. Seems we had a little war or something. I believe its still in the text books used at our nations schools. Unless of course the left found that referring to the Revoultionary war “offensive” thereby taking all references out.
SPIFF1669 on May 8, 2007 at 11:15 AM
I thought that was cute. Leave the cuddly ‘ol prez alone!!
unamused on May 8, 2007 at 11:19 AM
Leave it the liberal media to take a whimsical Presidential moment and try to elevate it to an international incident. This was a good moment for the President, funny stuff actually, it takes a lot more than that to embarrass the Queen.
Maxx on May 8, 2007 at 11:34 AM
More airhead, space-filler gossip from the chattering media dunces. The Queen is just a woman who attends diplomatic/ceremonial functions for a living. Grovelling around being obsequious has got to be the absolutely worse way to deal with her. The media’s opinion of what cheeses the woman is worthless. They can’t read her mind, they’re just projecting their little prejudices.
Meanwhile, the media tasks hundreds of media people to tag around behind the Queen, who has no actual governing power, going to a couple of sporting events and ceremonial functions.
How many cub reporters are being tasked to something substantive, like say, the progress of negotiations to disban the most notorious rebel group in East Africa, the LRA? Given a brief opening scene in the James Bond Casino Royale, the real-life rebels have kidnapped children by the school-full to force them to becoming child soldiers, robbed and burned villages, killed and purposely multilated people, raped women and held girls for years as sex slaves. Thousands of prime agricultural land in Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan go poorly cultivated thanks to the terror of this marauding group. Children in the stomping grounds of the LRA sleep together in the towns at night, collected in the town center for their protection.
Thousands of peoples’ lives will improve and innocent children will no longer be forced to kill and murder if this group agrees to end their strange and brutal campaign. The LRA has begun to talk. The LRA is making the moves in the right direction, and the African governments see hope that there is an historic opportunity to bring the brutality to a close. Is that news? It’s that good news? Isn’t that something the world should be happy to encourage?
Noooooooooo! LRA who? Where?
It’s a lot more fun and a lot less effort to chase around Queen Elizabeth doing not much of anything. The free press has failed, utterly disgustingly failed in their role if one ends up more ignorant at the end of any reporting than when one started.
naliaka on May 8, 2007 at 11:38 AM
Doug Heffernan made this same mistake! No big deal.
On the episode where Carrie and Doug visit Doug’s parents in Florida, they watch old home videos from when Doug was a kid, and Carrie notices something fishy - they have the same dog they had in the 1970s (obviously impossible). Long story short, the parents shielded Doug from bad things, and kept buying a new dog every few years since he had been an adult.
Anyway, Doug wasn’t understanding so Carrie said, remember that home movie of the bicentennial party? What year was that? He answered “1776″, to which she said “No Doug, that was the actual thing”, and he embarassingly said “1976″…
This is a very easy thing to do, especially if you’re Dubya. I’m just surprised he didn’t say something like “Golly Mrs. Elizabeth, you sure are old!”.
RightWinged on May 8, 2007 at 11:39 AM
Well it’s not possible for Bush to be any popular in UK than he is now. And there’s something about the queen that makes you want to goof on her. Enough with the hats already.
honora on May 8, 2007 at 12:19 PM
Hehe…there was no “there” there. What the HELL is the MSM talking about?
tickleddragon on May 8, 2007 at 12:20 PM
Honora, you’re one of those tourists that try to get the Palace Guards to move too, aren’t you?
tickleddragon on May 8, 2007 at 12:25 PM
“Hey Henry…watch while I hang from this guy’s big black harry hat! Quick, take my picture!”
;)
tickleddragon on May 8, 2007 at 12:27 PM
If there is ‘anything’ that can possibly put him in a bad light…..too many to name that will jump on it and try to make it into a huge incident. I doubt she, or anyone except those with BDS were so horridly offended….it’s a slip of the tongue, nothing more. But, let’s make a enormous deal out of it nevertheless. Sheesh!
dustoffmom on May 8, 2007 at 12:38 PM
It sounded like me that she said a regal, “oh dear,” probably anticipating the press jumping all over it.
jeffshultz on May 8, 2007 at 12:48 PM
I applaud the President for winking at the Queen and treating her in an informal way. The British monarchy should have been retired from its position in Great Britain by now.
Phil Byler on May 8, 2007 at 1:01 PM
I think it is more ridiculous that the Queen was making a big deal about how her entire trip will be covered by “carbon offsets” in order to reduce her “carbon footprint.” Great, now the Queen has gone moonbatty.
Mallard T. Drake on May 8, 2007 at 1:12 PM
In my opinion, it was done so smoothly, I’d almost think the president did it on purpose just to yank the collective chain of the MSM.
baldilocks on May 8, 2007 at 1:23 PM
Haha! At least he can take his screw-up with a stride, unlike a certain person who’s initials are JFK that would deny ever making the statement for days on end and then try to make up some ridiculous excuse for it.
Oh, and by the way, this was the top story on the web site of one of Norway’s largest newspapers for a good portion of yesterday evening. Breaking news, Bush gets two digits wrong and corrects himself immediately! OMGZ!
Seixon on May 8, 2007 at 1:32 PM
My, my, you are easily offended aren’t you. When was the last time you went to a function with a regular old redneck and not some royal dignitary or deity? W did just fine. He is who he is, and thre ain’t a damned thing he needs to be ashamed of. The last perfect person was crucifed anyway.
You, the Queen, W, and I and everyone in the left and right halves of the political world are far from perfect, and thus have no right to cast stones here.
Subsunk
Subsunk on May 8, 2007 at 1:42 PM
Amazing what passes for news. Is a mistake a mistake if you catch it yourself and correct it instantly? Obviously the President realized that saying 1776 leaves the suggestion of the Queen being nearly 300 years old, so all he could do was pause, and allow her a chance to retort or pass it off. She graciously did the latter.
End of story, unless you’re so infested with BDS that you never hear a word he says if it is said correctly.
Freelancer on May 8, 2007 at 2:05 PM
jeez talk about a mountain out of a molehill!
Defector01 on May 8, 2007 at 2:11 PM
The whole royal family is an embarrasment; why waste the time thinking about those do-nothing, snobby, self-important people?
The English are so “refined”. What a load of crap.
RW Wacko on May 8, 2007 at 2:32 PM
1) She wasn’t really listening.
2) She was daydreaming about tea and scones with lots of creamy butter.
3) Why are we even discussing this?
The Ugly American on May 8, 2007 at 2:37 PM
Naliaka:
What he or she said.
This is just Bush-hating nonsense from the media.
georgej on May 8, 2007 at 3:02 PM
1776 was a good year…a very good year.
Tim Burton on May 8, 2007 at 3:55 PM
What Royal Gaffe?
A moment of humor, what’s the big deal? Don’t we have much better things to spend our time on?
omegaram on May 8, 2007 at 4:27 PM
Personally, I thought it looked like the whole thing was a set-up. It was funny. Other than that, who cares?
Connie on May 8, 2007 at 10:46 PM
It’s silly to believe in and support monarchies in this day and age. S/b totally ignored.
Beyond the tabloids, this is totally insignificant. It proves, however, how silly, meaningless, and trashy the media have become.
Entelechy on May 9, 2007 at 12:34 AM