Queen Elizabeth Snubbed By US, France
By Wyatt Earp | May 29, 2009
Next week, there will be a commemoration of the 65th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. Apparently, France and the United States “lost” Queen Elizabeth’s invitation, and she is not amused.
This is not the way to treat a strong and loyal ally, and it certainly does not say a lot for Obama and Sarkozy’s tact.
Sadly, this is not the first time the Queen was snubbed by the Obama administration. I would hate to see this become an unsettling trend.
Ace of Spades has the gruesome details:
Indeed, she is decidedly displeased, angry even, that she was not invited to join President Obama and France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, next week at commemorations of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, according to reports published in Britain’s mass-circulation tabloid newspapers on Wednesday. Pointedly, Buckingham Palace did not deny the reports.
The queen, who is 83, is the only living head of state who served in uniform during World War II. As Elizabeth Windsor, service number 230873, she volunteered as a subaltern in the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service, training as a driver and a mechanic. Eventually, she drove military trucks in support roles in England.
While serving, she met the supreme Allied commander for the D-Day landings, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, and developed a fondness for him, according to several biographies. This prompted Queen Elizabeth, who was crowned in June 1953, to say in later years that he was the American president with whom she felt most at ease.
Gabriel Malor summed it up pretty succinctly:
That’s right. She actually served in World War II. Maybe, just maybe the President could properly acknowledge her contribution. (LINK)
This is a pretty big deal, if you ask me. Britain contributed as much as the United States did during the war in Europe, and some could argue that they contributed more than surrender-happy France.
The least Obama and Sarkozy could do was acknowledge that fact and do everything in their power to make sure the Queen – a World War II veteran – was front row, center at the ceremony.
Topics: Duct Tape Advisory | 18 Comments »
May 29th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I personally think Obama has his head so far up his own a$$ he can’t even think anymore. He thinks he is God, or as close to it as any human can be. He doesn’t care about his own citizens why would he give a flying fook about snubbing someone from a whole other country? Even if that someone has more right to be at that ceremony then either of the two fakes that actually are going. Obama needs more than a clue, he needs a brain enema. (grabs a new roll of duct tape and wanders off muttering incoherently)
May 29th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
She’s the Queen of England AND a World War II veteran, and they’re not inviting her? Where are their manners? Obama’s lack of respect is mortifying.
According to Wikipedia: She is, at present, “the only living head of state who served in uniform during World War II”.
Queen Elizabeth was a real hands on kind of girl, unlike SOME people….
May 29th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Why am I not surprised?
May 29th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Snub one of the vanishing number of living WWII veterans, as well as the leader of a country which was our staunchest ally in that war?
Stay classy, comrade President.
I don’t think my idea of calling him the Discount Messiah is taking off, but Bargain Basement Messiah is a bit unwieldy.
Thoughts, anyone?
May 29th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
One word springs to mind… duh.
I don’t find it surprising that someone who kowtows to a foreign power would snub a staunch ally. Chicago politics don’t work in the real world… question is when he’ll figure that out.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
E.L. – “Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean . . .”
Mrs. Crankipants – Well, community organizing is just like the armed forces . . .
BobG – Because you know better than to be.
Lergnom – Plastic Dashboard Messiah – like Plastic dashboard Jesus?
Dano – Probably three years after he is out of office. Ya know Major Richard Winters – of Band of Brothers fame – was in the crowd during McCain’s RNC speech. Just sayin’
May 29th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
“I would hate to see this become an unsettling trend.”
Too late, I’m afraid. Between the snubs of the Queen, the snub of the British PM, and giving back the bust of Churchill given to the US by the people of the UK, I have a feeling that the Brits’ love affair with B.O. is near an end, if not already dead.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
How lame. Seriously. His administration shows a lack a sense a lot of the time.
May 29th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
John D – The Churchill bust bobbles the mind. He quotes him and refers to him in speeches, but in practice, not so much.
RT – You can say that again.
May 29th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Get used to it. Obama is an arrogant pr*ck. We already miss Bush.
May 29th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
The Marxist Mafia strikes again. The Obama admin has no class at all.
May 29th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Even his uncle who was at the liberation Buchenwald, I believe (or was it Dachau?) says its all for politics with him. Also, does Sarkozy have any relatives that were in the Vicchi govt by any chance?
May 29th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
i hate to tell you guys this but Obama is the 12th Imam. he was bread in a muslim country,who knows what he did when he was in pakistan and by the time 2012 comes the great satin will be crushed from the inside just like dinnerjacket is claiming. snub friends cuddle enemies
May 29th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Was he wheat bread or rye bread?
Satin or silk?
thanks for the laughs.
May 29th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Ya say ya wanna revolution?
Well you know, it ain’t comin from the left……..
May 30th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Well now that just makes my head want to explode…
May 30th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Let’s face it. This has next to nothing to do with the 65th anniversary. This has all to do with Sarkozy wanting to be centree stage with POTUS.
I doubt whether it was a snub of the Queen (although it obviously has that effect). What concerns me more is how much the UK Government were involved. Was it France snubbing UK or was it Gordon Brown and his government snubbing the Queen?
This government has form. The Head of State IS the Queen. She has a similar role to your flag. It is not the same role as POTUS. The government have tried repeatedly in subtle ways to undermine that role and by implication, put the PM into it.
May 30th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
#7 John D said:
“I have a feeling that the Brits’ love affair with B.O. is near an end, if not already dead.”
Depends who you talk to. There are plenty of liberals and socialists who would worship the ground over which he hovered. There are many others who never have liked him.
The British are keen on symbolism. When the PM visited POTUS he brought a series of unique gifts.
The Resolute desk which sits in the Oval Office at the White House and has been used by all but three US Presidents, was made in 1879 by William Evenden, a skilled joiner, in the Joiners Shop at the Royal Dockyard at Chatham, using timbers of the British ‘discovery’ ship HMS Resolute which, in its time was used by the Royal Navy on anti-slavery patrol.
To compliment the desk a pen holder was made in the same Joiners Shop which is now based in the Historic Dockyard Chatham. It was made using an off-cut of timber salvaged from HMS Gannet – a Victorian Naval Sloop – during her restoration in 2002. The Gannet was the sister ship of the Resolute and was once named “The President”. In addition, another treasure given to the US President was the framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to symbolise Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and presented back to Queen Victoria.
Finally, Mr Brown gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert. [Note - one of Obama's first acts was to return a bust of Sir Winston Churchill which appeared to have become surplus to requirements.]
Sarah Brown gave Sasha and Malia Obama an outfit each from Topshop, which has just opened its first American store in New York. She also picked six children’s books by British authors which are shortly to be published in America.
As a gracious gesture, President Obama gave him a gift set of 25 classic American movies, including the timeless thriller “Psycho.” Unfortunately, none of them worked because they were the US DVD zone! Was a White House staffer sent out at the last minute to get the set from the local Wallmart? Who knows.
Finally, the Obamas gave the Browns two models of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, to take home to sons Fraser and John (allegedly from the White House gift shop!)
I leave it up to you to consider how many British people felt about the gifts from POTUS to the PM of a long-term ally supporting then in major conflicts.
Oh yes. When POTUS came over to the UK for the G20 he brough the Queen aniPod loaded with pictures of her state visit to the USA in 2007 when he wasn’t even President. (Its just possible she had access to newsreel shot at the time … She already had an iPod from one of her grandsons.)