Obama miscues on toast

Politico44 ^ | 05/24/11 | CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN

[ColdOne]

LONDON – It was all going so well.

But when the time came for President Obama to deliver his toast to Queen Elizabeth Tuesday night, the meticulously planned state dinner at Buckingham Palace turned, well, awkward.

As Obama began wrapping up his remarks, he put down his notecards and picked up his glass.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please stand with me and raise your glasses as I propose a toast,” the president said, as the guests stood up. “To her majesty the Queen.”

At this point, the band queued up “God Save the Queen.” But Obama wasn’t quite finished yet.

So he kept talking – over the British national anthem – and the president competed with orchestra for a few more seconds.

“For the vitality,“ Obama said just before the music started, “of the special relationship between our peoples, and in the words of Shakespeare, ‘To this blessed plot, this Earth, this realm, this England.’”

Obama raised his glass, but nobody else in view of the camera followed. And the queen, who had been looking straight ahead, glanced over to offer a pained smile.

[library user]

[DownInFlames]

What a Putz

[PalmettoMason]

Saw it on live TV.

...And cringed.

[ninergold3]

That idiot can't do anything right.

[230FMJ]

Putz works, although my first thought was “What a Tool”...

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

There are 2 freakin’ etiquette and diplomacy schools in Washington DC

One of them is missing a pupil

[TribalPrincess2U]

His toast. He’s toast.

[Not now, Not ever!]

Screwed the pooch again, did he?

[Mr. Mojo]

And a bigtime schlemiel.

[HerrBlucher]

What an embarassment to this country. Crude, rude, stupid, and self centered. Yuck.

[ColdOne]

Saw it on live TV. ...And cringed. was it that bad?

[American Quilter]

If I were president, I’d make sure I knew what I was supposed to do prior to each social event. What an idiot this man is. And I don’t think any of it dents his colossal ego.

[Rapunzel]

I saw that this afternoon. After he shut up he stood tall and stuck his nose up highly with a smirk on his mug.

[culpeper]

I guess Jarrett wasnt there to pull his strings and lay out his underwear.

[rawhide]

Was wondering, did obamma bow before the Queen, as he has before different Kings and other heads of state? Did Michelle do a curtsy before Her Royal Highness?

[max americana]

what a maroon!

This has got to be the last meeting between the Royals and the Star Wars combo of Jarjar and Chewbacca because these idiots are just embarrassing us.

[GlockThe Vote]

What a circus act this trip is turning out to be.

[TomGuy]

Doofus-in-Chief continues to be an embarrassment.

[cripplecreek]

You would think he would have recognized the tune even if he didn’t know what it meant.