RUSH: Try this. ‘The Obama administration plans to expand a US program to bolster Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’ security forces in the West Bank.’
This is in addition to $900 million to Hamas under the guise of it going to broken down citizens in Gaza. So, yeah, some parts of the world love us. Hugo Chavez looks at you today, says, ‘Wow! I can’t believe it. This is cool, what’s happening to the United States. They’re following in my footprints!’ Meanwhile, Barack Obama has now dissed our number-one ally, the United Kingdom, twice, first in returning the bust of Winston Churchill given to us through President Bush. That Churchill bust given to us after 9/11 was a gift to the American people, and George W. Bush was its steward, just as every president is a steward of the US Constitution. Presidents are not elected to remake the United States or its Constitution.
They swear an oath to defend it and to protect it. Obama has already forgotten. Next — actually, three disses, three acts of disrespect. The second act of disrespect was allowing the British to believe that there would be the traditional, joint press conference with all the flags in the East Room, with the press corps made up of both Brits and US reporters after the first meeting between Obama and Gordon Brown, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. It didn’t happen. UK press people — people that loved Obama in the Guardian, in the Telegraph, people in the press over there that loved Obama — are feeling dissed.
They’re feeling as though they have been disrespected. There was no joint meeting. The third diss: what do you think the gift Obama gave Gordon Brown is? It’s a traditional thing. The first time the leader of a country shows up, you give them a gift. Let me first tell you what Gordon Brown’s gift was. ‘Mr Brown’s gifts,’ there were three, ‘included an ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet, once named HMS President. Mr Obama was so delighted he has already put it in pride of place in the Oval Office on the Resolute Desk which was carved from timbers of Gannet’s sister ship, HMS Resolute.
‘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 given to Queen Victoria. Finally, Mr Brown gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert.’ Now, this pen set, this pen set contains wood from the ship that Obama’s desk in the Oval Office is made of. These are well-thought-out gifts given with tremendous respect. Do you know what Obama gave Gordon Brown? Twenty-five DVDs of classic American films. Not even Blu-ray, standard definition DVDs that Gordon Brown could have purchased on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or anywhere, if he had any desire to see them.