BarackBuster Video: Specializing in Tacky Gifts for World Leaders

When British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited Barack Obama in the White House on March 5, 2009, he came bearing gifts--as is the custom. The Prime Minister brought some thoughtful gifts such as a penholder made from wood from the HMS Gannet, a framed commissioning paper for the HMS Resolute, and a set of books about Winston Churchill.

In exchange, Chairman Obama gave the Prime Minister a set of twenty-five DVDs. The DVDs included American classics like E.T., Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, etc. This was a nice gift to give to a film buff uncle, but it is not befitting the dignity of a head of state. The Prime Minister’s gifts to Obama displayed class, thoughtfulness, and respect. Obama’s gift to the Prime Minister showed dullness, thoughtlessness, and indifference.

The Prime Minister is blind in one eye, and he probably does not have a lot of time to sit around watching movies. Even if he did have time to watch the DVDs, I wonder if the DVDs will even play on British DVD players. Furthermore, these DVDs could be purchased from BestBuy or Walmart. If the Prime Minister wanted these DVDs, he could have easily purchased them himself. Who cares about a gift anyone could just go grab off of a shelf virtually anywhere?

Why does Obama not know better than this? Is he really such a rookie that he does not understand the importance of establishing dignified relations with foreign leaders? Is it possible Obama was intentionally snubbing the Prime Minister with a blatantly lame gift. Maybe Chairman Obama should have just given Prime Minister Brown a Walmart gift card. That way, the Prime Minister could have stocked up Monty Python, Mr. Bean, and Little Britain DVDs to watch on his long flight home after a wasted trip to America.