Obama strikes again…no invite for the Queen to observe D-Day

posted at 4:04 pm on May 28, 2009 by
[ Diplomacy ]   

A mere slight?  Perhaps an oversight?  Maybe the Queen was not all that pleased with the I-pod?  Maybe Obama just doesn’t care for the Old Girl?

In any case, the NYT is reporting that Queen Elizabeth II was not invited to attend D-Day formalities when Obama heads to France to schmooze with Sarkozy.

There is deep significance with the Queen not being invited…she is the one world leader who has a personal stake in D-Day.  While serving with the British forces as a driver,  she met the Supreme Allied Commander for the D-Day landings, General Eisenhower, and developed a fondness for him which lasted for decades.  Her affection for Eisenhower, and his contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany is well known.  Seems that her not being invited by a serving President of the United States sends a message that the United Kingdom just doesn’t matter in the big picture anymore.

How in the world can any world leader commemorate D-Day without the presence of the Brits?

Blowback

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How indeed! I know I am not alone in hanging my head shamefully over the actions of this man…..his lack of class embarasses us all.

dustoffmom on May 28, 2009 at 4:20 PM

How many times does he have to insult the UK before people get a clue that it’s deliberate.

Daggett on May 28, 2009 at 4:25 PM

Isn’t this France’s party? I believe the fault is Sarkozy’s, not Obama’s.

patriette on May 28, 2009 at 4:34 PM

Perhaps the message has already been received, and the Queen has decided to never meet with the current American president again.

NaCly dog on May 28, 2009 at 4:43 PM

This could be another sign of incompetence, or it could be that Obama has a bug up his butt about British Imperial history, especially as it relates to Africa.
He sent Churchill’s bust away almost immediately, remember?

Brian1972 on May 28, 2009 at 4:48 PM

The Telegraph is reporting that PM Brown dropped the ball. The queen is not keeping that a secret either, according to the article I saw. Hmmmmm.

NaCly dog on May 28, 2009 at 5:04 PM

NaCly dog on May 28, 2009 at 5:04 PM</blockquote>

People do best what they want to do best…

Thus, if Obama wanted to make sure the Queen was at least offered an invite, it would have been taken care of…

Is this an intentional slight? Or is it just another in a growing list of diplomatic gaffes caused by a myopic worldview of the current Administration more concerned with community organizing, agiprop, than it is in involving itself in actual efforts in confronting the real world?

coldwarrior on May 28, 2009 at 5:20 PM

And not to defend Obama, but the populist Daily Mail is blaming the French as well as Brown.

andycanuck on May 28, 2009 at 6:04 PM

I agree that Obama cares little for any diplomatic nicety. It’s always about him, anyway.

Pres. GW Bush’s administration did very well at diplomat efforts.

Just a note, other administrations haven’t been smooth diplomatically. A short podium for the Queen of England at a Rose Garden speech left the TV cameras focused on the Queen’s hat. The WH Protocol Office Head lost her job over that one.
And wasn’t it a drunken Hamilton Jordan at a state dinner that wanted to pull down the low-cut top of the Egyptian ambassador’s wife “to see the pyramids”?

NaCly dog on May 28, 2009 at 6:56 PM

Obama just didn’t much appreciate Her Majesty’s gift all that much.

Now the Queen can just have herself a thoughtful Ipod “time-out” up in her room…listening to Bam’s old speeches.

What a “screw up” Obama is! He is an national embarrassment.

marybel on May 28, 2009 at 9:03 PM

This is shocking. Just unbelievable. WWII would be an indelible part of her memory. What kind of people can forget the courage of her family?

From the British Monarchy Website:

She made her first public speech in October 1940, when she was 14. In a live broadcast, she sent a message during the BBC’s children’s programme to all the children of Britain and the Commonwealth, particularly to those children who were being evacuated for safety reasons.

They have the broadcast on YouTube now.

From Wiki:

Princess Elizabeth changing the wheel of a lorry during World War II.

I know I’ve seen other photos of her in uniform during WWII, but that was the only one I could find.

INC on May 28, 2009 at 10:48 PM

Oh, and I’m not going to just blame the French for this. Sarkozy and Obama are both culpable.

INC on May 28, 2009 at 10:54 PM

Sorry to add on, but I thought of something else.

WWII probably holds many lasting and cherished memories of both her parents. Her father would die a few years later. This is needlessly cutting off not just a national tie, but a personal tie.

INC on May 28, 2009 at 10:57 PM

just so you guys know, I was so incensed by the the IPOD, I did send a thank you to the British Embassy and expressed my gratitude for the ages old cooperation and our shared Heritage – I didn’t apologize for the perhaps slight from the Admin, I just put in my two cents.

do you know what I received in return?

A hand written envelope, with a very classy, thermographed and hand signed card from the Ambassador thanking me for my sentiment.

What do I get from my much esteemed Senator Sessions? Whom I will not slight here or anywhere?

A form letter.

Senator Sessions, wake up.

Good night America.

seesalrun on May 29, 2009 at 9:46 PM