Teh One Who Knocks
04-18-2013, 10:45 AM
By: Kevin Cirilli - Politico
President Barack Obama decision not to dispatch any high-ranking members of his administration to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s funeral on Wednesday has peeved critics on both sides of the pond.
The White House tapped ex-Secretaries of State George Shultz and James A. Baker III to lead the American delegation, which also includes Barbara Stephenson, the charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in London, and Louis Susman, former U.S. ambassador to the U.K., according to The Associated Press.
Not good enough, say the British tabloids.
“[…Downing] Street is most angered by rejections from Obama, First Lady Michelle and Vice-President Joe Biden. And none of the four surviving ex-US leaders — Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr, Bill Clinton and George Bush Jr — is coming either,” The Sun reported.
The report continued: “The response contrasts with glowing US tributes on the day Lady Thatcher died. A No 10 source said last night: ‘We are a little surprised by the White House’s reaction as we were expecting a high-profile attendance.’ The “snub” came ahead of the Boston marathon “bomb outrage.”
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden told POLITICO that it was anything but a snub.
“The two Secretaries of State who headed the U.S. delegation are testimony to Baroness Thatcher’s global stature and reputation and reflected the longstanding strength of the transatlantic relationship,” Hayden told POLITICO. “As President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron noted last year, the bond between our countries is unique and essential – we count on each other, and the world counts on our alliance.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman also refuted reports that the Obama administration snubbed Thatcher.
“Absolutely not and that the seniority of the America dignitaries attending was reflective of her global stature,” spokesman Jean-Christophe Gray told reporters on Tuesday. “He welcomed the fact that two former Secretaries of State with whom Lady Thatcher had worked very closely were attending, saying it was testimony to the esteem in which she was held”
But the New York Post editorial page called the U.S. representation “underwhelming.”
“As the world bids farewell to Lady Margaret Thatcher today, it’s hard not to notice that America’s official presence at the state funeral for England’s most significant prime minister since Winston Churchill will be underwhelming,” wrote The Post, which is owned by Thatcher ally Rupert Murdoch. “Instead of sending a high-ranking member of his own administration to lead the official delegation, President Obama has dispatched two former Republican secretaries of state, George Shultz and Jim Baker. Nothing against these men, but we can forgive the British for regarding Obama’s choice as yet another snub.”
The kicker: “What makes Washington’s little acts of thoughtlessness so telling is that they attract more attention than doing the right thing would.”
The Guardian in Britain dubbed it a “distinctly low-key official representation.”
“The US is to send distinctly low-key official representation … While Barack Obama was invited, he has opted to send a presidential delegation comprising no serving politicians,” according to The Guardian report.
British news agency ITV News’ Chris Ship tweeted that some were “furious” about Obama sending “no significant” representatives:
Tory MP tells me many pro-American colleagues furious that Obama administration sending no significant representative to Thatcher funeral
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) April 16, 2013
The Daily Mail quoted two British politicos who expressed disappointment in the situation: Thatcher political ally Dr. Liam Fox and chairman of the Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward Gerald Howarth.
“I think it would be both surprising and disappointing if after President Obama’s fulsome tribute to Lady Thatcher, the American administration did not send a senior serving member to represent them,” Fox told The Daily Mail.
Howarth called it a “source of disappointment.”
‘The bonds forged between the UK and the US through Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher was instrumental in ending the Cold War and liberating millions of people,” Howarth told The Daily Mail. “That the present administration feels unable to be represented as the world marks the extraordinary contribution Margaret Thatcher made will be a source of disappointment to those who served with her in that great endeavor.”
Breitbart’s Debra Heine noted that Obama’s latest actions are a departure from the praise he offered Thatcher when she died.
“The President did say, last week, in his statement on Thatcher’s passing, ‘Michelle and I send our thoughts to the Thatcher family and all the British people as we carry on the work to which she dedicated her life — free peoples standing together, determined to write our own destiny,’” Heine wrote. “But actions (and inactions) speak louder than words. Obama did send an an official delegation to Caracas to attend last month’s funeral for the deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.”
Conservative website Twitchy’s staff also weighed-in on the snub.
“That’s right. President Obama is not sending a single member of his administration to represent the United States at Lady Thatcher’s funeral. … why can’t the president show the Iron Lady the respect she deserves and send at least one senior administration official to honor her on his behalf?” Twitchy’s staff wrote.
President Barack Obama decision not to dispatch any high-ranking members of his administration to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s funeral on Wednesday has peeved critics on both sides of the pond.
The White House tapped ex-Secretaries of State George Shultz and James A. Baker III to lead the American delegation, which also includes Barbara Stephenson, the charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in London, and Louis Susman, former U.S. ambassador to the U.K., according to The Associated Press.
Not good enough, say the British tabloids.
“[…Downing] Street is most angered by rejections from Obama, First Lady Michelle and Vice-President Joe Biden. And none of the four surviving ex-US leaders — Jimmy Carter, George Bush Sr, Bill Clinton and George Bush Jr — is coming either,” The Sun reported.
The report continued: “The response contrasts with glowing US tributes on the day Lady Thatcher died. A No 10 source said last night: ‘We are a little surprised by the White House’s reaction as we were expecting a high-profile attendance.’ The “snub” came ahead of the Boston marathon “bomb outrage.”
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden told POLITICO that it was anything but a snub.
“The two Secretaries of State who headed the U.S. delegation are testimony to Baroness Thatcher’s global stature and reputation and reflected the longstanding strength of the transatlantic relationship,” Hayden told POLITICO. “As President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron noted last year, the bond between our countries is unique and essential – we count on each other, and the world counts on our alliance.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman also refuted reports that the Obama administration snubbed Thatcher.
“Absolutely not and that the seniority of the America dignitaries attending was reflective of her global stature,” spokesman Jean-Christophe Gray told reporters on Tuesday. “He welcomed the fact that two former Secretaries of State with whom Lady Thatcher had worked very closely were attending, saying it was testimony to the esteem in which she was held”
But the New York Post editorial page called the U.S. representation “underwhelming.”
“As the world bids farewell to Lady Margaret Thatcher today, it’s hard not to notice that America’s official presence at the state funeral for England’s most significant prime minister since Winston Churchill will be underwhelming,” wrote The Post, which is owned by Thatcher ally Rupert Murdoch. “Instead of sending a high-ranking member of his own administration to lead the official delegation, President Obama has dispatched two former Republican secretaries of state, George Shultz and Jim Baker. Nothing against these men, but we can forgive the British for regarding Obama’s choice as yet another snub.”
The kicker: “What makes Washington’s little acts of thoughtlessness so telling is that they attract more attention than doing the right thing would.”
The Guardian in Britain dubbed it a “distinctly low-key official representation.”
“The US is to send distinctly low-key official representation … While Barack Obama was invited, he has opted to send a presidential delegation comprising no serving politicians,” according to The Guardian report.
British news agency ITV News’ Chris Ship tweeted that some were “furious” about Obama sending “no significant” representatives:
Tory MP tells me many pro-American colleagues furious that Obama administration sending no significant representative to Thatcher funeral
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) April 16, 2013
The Daily Mail quoted two British politicos who expressed disappointment in the situation: Thatcher political ally Dr. Liam Fox and chairman of the Thatcherite Conservative Way Forward Gerald Howarth.
“I think it would be both surprising and disappointing if after President Obama’s fulsome tribute to Lady Thatcher, the American administration did not send a senior serving member to represent them,” Fox told The Daily Mail.
Howarth called it a “source of disappointment.”
‘The bonds forged between the UK and the US through Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher was instrumental in ending the Cold War and liberating millions of people,” Howarth told The Daily Mail. “That the present administration feels unable to be represented as the world marks the extraordinary contribution Margaret Thatcher made will be a source of disappointment to those who served with her in that great endeavor.”
Breitbart’s Debra Heine noted that Obama’s latest actions are a departure from the praise he offered Thatcher when she died.
“The President did say, last week, in his statement on Thatcher’s passing, ‘Michelle and I send our thoughts to the Thatcher family and all the British people as we carry on the work to which she dedicated her life — free peoples standing together, determined to write our own destiny,’” Heine wrote. “But actions (and inactions) speak louder than words. Obama did send an an official delegation to Caracas to attend last month’s funeral for the deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.”
Conservative website Twitchy’s staff also weighed-in on the snub.
“That’s right. President Obama is not sending a single member of his administration to represent the United States at Lady Thatcher’s funeral. … why can’t the president show the Iron Lady the respect she deserves and send at least one senior administration official to honor her on his behalf?” Twitchy’s staff wrote.