* clinks and winks his way through royal dinner

[Kat 333]

<snip>

In two interviews with British journalists before the trip, Bush joked that he rented his tails for the white-tie dinner. In one interview, he recalled with fondness his pub-crawling days in London before he gave up the drink.

But here he was, seated next to the Queen of England, amid Corinthian columns and gold-enriched pilasters, before a red velvet throne used for the coronation of King Edward VII. The Yeomen of the Guard, with their red robes and long spears, stood at attention. The Puligny-Montrachet '96 was flowing. And the president was having trouble with the toasts.

The queen gave her toast, noting that, unlike presidents, she was not term-limited. The president smiled, Prince Charles did not. When the queen finished, the president raised his glass, but Her Majesty did not return the gesture, instead waiting for the American national anthem to begin. Hearing the music, Bush put down his glass and placed his hand on his heart, then took it off, then put it on again. "The Star-Spangled Banner" over, he clinked glasses with the queen, then turned to clink glasses with Princess Anne, who was already sipping from hers.

The awkwardness continued after Bush's toast, when he again picked up his glass to clink with the queen, who stood motionless, waiting for her own national anthem. Bush put his glass back down and, as the orchestra played "God Save the Queen," winked at somebody in the audience. Finally, the anthem finished, president and queen consummated their clinks.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63581-2003Nov19.html

[THUNDER HANDS]

1. HAHA

Good for the royal family. Embarass the little turd.

[WilliamPitt]

2. *groan*

:grr:

[SpiralHawk]

3. "consumated their clinks..."

I guess Chimpy didn't get schooled in proper clinking at prep school or Yale. What a waste of tuition.

[Bronco69]

4. Aren't they supposed to go over these things

before they leave the U.S.? Or at least have a little meeting about it before the event? Please G*d!! Please make him stop embarrassing us!!

[JHB]

9. They had the "protocol" meeting...

...it's just that "clinking" didn't make the one-page memo, filled as it was with reminders not to try to make the Palace Guards blink, etc.

[Warpy]

14. Palace etiquette

...would drive most of us bonkers. I don't fault him for his lack in clinking protocol. He's doing the right thing, following the bizarre and Byzantine rules set down by his hosts, whenever he can remember to do so.

Besides, all the protocol meetings were geared toward having him not bring up the latest unpleasantness in the palace and slapping Her Majesty on the back with one hand while groping her arse with the other. This is the type of thing Bush really needed to know, not the niceties of toastmaking.

Think of his father. By all reports he has also managed to avoid puking in Her Majesty's lap.

However, I think he should be sent home quickly before any of this stuff happens. With a member of that family, it is inevitable.

[Benhurst]

10. Since Bush* is not our elected representative,

please, God, let him show the world just how big a fool he is. And, oh yeah, You are doing a great job so far.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

15. You'll never hear about THAT form the US Media - have to watch BBC

According to MSNBC - Bush has won over the entire country...

[kskiska]

5. Imagine what transpired once the meal began

after the cameras were turned off. He would have been faced with the problem of which fork to use. Pickles wasn't allowed to sit next to him, so he would have had to watch either the Queen or Princess Anne to get a clue. It's obvious he was way out of his depth with those people. It must have been a very trying evening for him.

[SpiralHawk]

6. Queen sends harsh message to Bush

This may not get much media play, but it is a stunning rebuke all the same.
The DU General Discussion thread on this got buried, but is worth checking out, too:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=741689

"As part of a special display of American memorabilia in the picture gallery of the palace, Mr Bush was invited to examine a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

With the topic of campaigns to free subjugated peoples from tyranny uppermost in many minds, the story of American slavery by Harriet Beecher Stowe was politely pointed out to Mr Bush by the Queen, with the verdict of one of her predecessors on American civilisation.

The extract from Queen Victoria's diary on the novel, briefly perused by Mr Bush and his wife, Laura, read: "To what can human nature descend ... It quite pains me."

But Mr Bush was plainly in no mood for historical comparisons as his tour of the royal art collection got under way. "

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=465451
ha!ha!ha!

[Ilsa]

13. Absolutely freaking amazing.

Isn't *'s undergrad degree in History? I can't see how. He has no sense of history, nor does he appear to be interested in anything pertaining to History. What a buffoon. I bet the palace guards even got a good laugh over his bumbling visit.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

7. Sad....really VERY sad.

[Buns_of_Fire]

8. I'm sure the people outside were a lot more fun to be around

...a bullhorn-wielding man disrupted Bush's formal welcome at the palace Wednesday morning by singing, "If you think Bush is a moron, yell 'retard.' "

[Ilsa]

11. What do you expect? There was no teleprompter

telling the stupid felcher what to do next.

[Skidmore]

12. King Cotton? Was that a slap as well?

Look away, look away, look away, Dixieland.