Posted on 05/08/2007 5:52:54 AM PDT by COUNTrecount
When you've just made it sound like the Queen is more than 200 years old, there may be a few ways of recovering from the gaffe.
But turning to her and giving her a sly wink is probably not included in any book of royal etiquette.
Is he winking at One? The President turns to the Queen and winks after his slip-up
The Queen received the wink with a frosty glare
That's what happened yesterday after George Bush mangled his greeting to the Queen on her state visit to the U.S.
Stumbling over his words, he came perilously close to suggesting that the monarch had toured the States in 1776.
And although the President's following wink was initially rewarded with a regal glare, the Queen did at least seem to see the funny side of the blunder.
After the blunder the President paused and turned to the Queen to acknowledge his gaffe, joking that she "gave me a look that only a mother could give a child."
Ripples of laughter echoed around those gathered at the event and the President laughed off the mistake and continued his speech.
The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh flew into the American capital for a two-day stay - the finale of their East Coast trip the other side of the Atlantic.
They were officially welcomed by Mr Bush and his wife Laura on the lawn of the White House in front of 7,000 guests, from members of Congress to Oval Office staff.
The Queen will deliver a keynote speech before heading to a garden party at the British ambassador's residence with Hollywood A-listers expected to be among the 750 guests.
In the evening, Mr Bush will don his white tie and tails for the state dinner as he and the First Lady pull out all the stops to entertain the royals.
It is the first white-tie affair of the Bush administration.
But The New York Times has been pondering: "How does George W Bush, a towel-snapping Texan who puts his feet on the coffee table, drinks water straight from the bottle and was once caught on tape talking with food in his mouth, prepare for a state dinner with the Queen?
"With tips from an etiquette guide, of course - and a little gentle prodding from his wife."
Mr Bush is the leader who once greeted Prime Minister Tony Blair with: "Yo, Blair. How are you doing?"
The Duke of Edinburgh, The Queen, Laura and George Bush listen to speeches at the white-tie event
It is hoped that gaffe-prone President Bush will manage to host the state visit without any hiccups.
He hasn't been so successful in the past, however. He once admitted to the Queen he was the black sheep of his family and then turned to her and asked "Who's yours?"
The encounter came at the White House in 1991 when his father was in power. The Queen, wisely, did not reply.
Barbara Bush stepped in and warned the monarch: "Don't answer that."
President Bush is known for his Texan drawl and informal approach and the Queen's visit to Washington is the ultimate test of his manners and grasp of royal etiquette.
USA Today remarked today: "The Yanks will endeavour to impress the Brits, the true sultans of ceremony."
The Queen and President George Bush share a toast
The paper added: "Bush is famous for his opposition to formality and staying up late, but he is nevertheless going all out for the Queen."
White House aides have apparently described the dinner in the Queen's honour as the social event of the entire Bush presidency.
George Bush's father, George Bush Snr, branded it "the hottest ticket in town."
The Times remarked: "It will be closely watched by the social elite for its collision of cultures - Texas swagger meets British prim.
"Dinner attire is white tie and tails, the first and, perhaps, only white-tie affair of the Bush administration.
"The president was said to be none too keen on that, but bowed to a higher power, his wife."
Mr Bush apparently likes to be in bed by 10pm, but the entertainment will stretch well into the evening.
The Bushes have hosted four other state dinners - for Mexico, Poland, the Philippines and Kenya - but never opted for the white-tie dress code before.
The Queen is ushered to a waiting car after arriving in Washington today
The star entertainment is being kept under wraps. During the Reagan years, Frank Sinatra sang for the Queen in 1983 on her trip to California.
The Queen danced with President Ford in 1976, but it is not known whether she will take to the floor with Mr Bush.
Vice President Dick Cheney, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, defence secretary Robert Gates and General Peter Pace, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, will be among the select 134 guests.
Mrs Bush will be wearing an Oscar da La Renta gown and her staff have co-ordinated with the Queen's dresser to make sure their outfits do not clash, the Washington Post reports.
Mrs Bush knows the importance of pre-planning her wardrobe. Last year, three women showed up at a reception she was at in the same red de la Renta dress she was wearing, forcing her to rush off to change.
At the banquet, Mr Bush will sit next to the Queen at Table 12, while Mrs Bush will join Philip at Table 11.
The monarch's dislike of spicy foods has been taken into consideration for the menu, personally selected by Mrs Bush.
The royal visit to DC is likely to be something of a distraction amid controversy over Mr Bush's veto of Congress's war funding bill which set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from the Gulf.
Washington has also been dealing with the fallout of the "DC Madam" sex scandal which brought the resignation of a top US State Department official who confirmed he had been a client of a woman accused of running a high-class prostitution ring.
The Queen's last visit to the White House was in 1991 in the wake of the first Gulf War when George Bush Snr was in power.
Whether the Queen will mention Iraq in her speech remains to be seen.
The White House lawn was the site of "Podiumgate" 16 years ago.
As the Queen gave an address all that could be seen of her above the podium and microphones was her hat.
Someone forgot to put the small raised platform in place ready for the royal VIP. The next day the Queen quipped as she made another speech: "I do hope you can see me today."
Mickey Rooney kisses the Queen's hand - another faux pas
This time, she will stand on a custom-made step. The Queen praised Mr Bush Snr in 1991 for his "outstanding leadership" in the Gulf conflict and gave reassurances about post-war problems, saying: "great enterprises seldom end with a tidy and satisfactory flourish". She also presented him with the Churchill award.
It is not known if the current President Bush will get an award this time. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman refused to comment.
Yeah . . . that’s the true image.
Wish I had lightened those images a bit before I worked on them. They are a little dark to distinguish the ‘wink’!
Cheburashka, please go to ohioWfan’s “Pray for President Bush” thread (todays) and you will see a picture that shows exactly what the Queen thinks of the President.
picture = word * 1000
Potlatch—Wonderful animation!
One of those ‘fake but true’ type moments!
Yeah, he could have said he wanted to be a tampon.
Oh, yeah, her SON already said that!
Classy family!
What this writer is woefully ignorant of is that here in America, we have policy that Mickey Rooney is to kiss the hand of any royalty visiting this sovereign nation -- and to refuse this honor is not only an affront, but an act of war!
And don't call Mickey Rooney's hand a paw.
Honestly.
Now, I know a good many people are going to say "What's the big deal? The Queen is nothing special. We don't kowtow to royalty here in the United States." My answer is, "That's beside the point." The point is not that the lady being winked at (or massaged, as the case may be) is anything special. The point is that a gentleman never behaves in such a familiar way with a lady (much less a head of state!) in a formal, business, or other public setting. I'm sure the President was just trying to be informal and the wink was meant as a friendly gesture towards the Queen. But for God's sake, President Bush is a grown man and the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth, and he ought to know better than to treat a lady — any lady — like that in public. HM Queen Elizabeth II is his mother's age — does he wink at his mom's lady friends, too? My guess is that if he did, Barabara Bush would slap the taste out of his mouth.
No matter what one's opinion of the British monarchy might be, it is obvious to all people with even the most basic knowledge of manners that one does not treat the Queen of England, the Chancellor of Germany, or any other female head of state like she's the Hog Queen at some county fair. It's jut plain rude, and it makes all of us look rude by association. I mean, it's bad enough that Americans (and we Texans in particular) have a global reputation as illiterate, shit-booted hicks with no manners to speak of. The last Texan to sit behind the Big Desk, the odious Lyndon Baines Johnson, was such a boor that our state and nation has yet to live down his reputation for uncouth behavior. Is it too much to ask that the current President of the United States — a well-known resident of the Lone Star State — put on his city manners while he's on the job?
She’s NOT his queen.
Loosen up.
ROFL! I nominate this for Post of the Day!
Long tradition of refusing to bow or curtsey to the queen bump. Every now and then, still, President Bush reminds me of why I liked him in the first place.
Folks! Folks!
Stop with the jealousy!
Once we elect Hillary!, we’ll have our own Queen ...
Problem solved.
I remember that song well. My brother had the old 45 record of that son and played it on his old hi-fi. Great song. Someone made a spoof song off that, about the boy scout’s troop.
“Haven’t you ever heard folks say glad to get home to their own toilet so they could poop?” LOL! ‘have had those sentiments myself!
But it is the utmost privilege to carry your own personal toilet on a weekend junket! I wonder who has to dump it?
Thank you, appreciate that!!
They hate the war, hate GW, hate Americans and hate their monarchy.
If you go on the Mail's website you'll see that every response to this piece is pro-Bush and pro-US. The British press (except for the Telegraph) is worthless.
Wow imagine that job on ones resume.
Poop scooper for the Queen.
I also observed when the Queen toasted with ice water wine glasses she had her own personal server step in and present her with a glass of wine to toast the Prez with.
Wonder if all the poop and wine personal care is for security issues.
That is 1 thing that would not sell on E Bay.
Look at the Queen’s pin on her left breast and Bush’s pin on his left lapel. When Bush winks he is looking over his lapel pin, and in the second photo he is looking at the Queen away from the pin. Obviously at different times.
There was an article in the paper about how the English press is on watch for Prince Phillip’s gaffes. He is talkative and prone to speak without thinking - or at least without caring. A very HUGE contrast to the Queen - who does not talk much and very dour in expression. The paper and recent FR threads typically show her with a dour expression.
Some guy even wrote a book on the Prince’s gaffes. One was looking at some grade-school kid’s science project rocket ship and he said to the chubby boy “You’ll have to go on a diet to fit in there”. In talking with the leaders of various tribes (in Africa?) he said something like “Ditisasas, Kulampous? What is it with these names? Do you still throw spears at each other?”
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