Less-Than-Classy Gift Exchange With PM Brown
I wonder how the Europeans like him now.
During British Prime Minister Brown's visit to Washington, he presented our new President with:
- A pen holder fashioned from the oak timber of HMS Gannet, a Navy vessel that served on anti-slavery missions off Africa.
- A framed commissioning paper for HMS Resolute, a Royal Navy ship that came to symbolize British-American goodwill when it was rescued by the U.S. from icebergs and given to Queen Victoria. It is the sister ship of the HMS Gannet.
- A first edition of Martin Gilbert's seven-volume biography of Winston Churchill, whose World War II partnership with President Franklin Roosevelt symbolized the U.S.-Anglo alliance.
- For Sasha and Malia, each an outfit from Topshop, a British chain of clothing stores, and selected six children's books by British authors which have yet to be published in the U.S.
In return, President Obama presented Brown with:
- A "special collector's box" of DVDs.
- For his two boys, toy helicopters modeled after Marine One.
One wonders whether the DVD's and the helicopters were bought at Walmart, but whether they were or not, the gift exchange illustrates the immense difference between these leaders and their respective staffs in terms of class and maturity.
