8 December 2003

The Man Who Came to Dinner

Where I come from we were taught to be polite.  My grandmother used to say, “never show up to dinner empty handed (something from the garden or a loaf of bread), smile when you eat what is put in front of you, and don’t overstay your welcome.” 

When I read that George W was about to visit the Queen, I  thought of my grandmother because the Queen was none too pleased that George and his buddies had demanded a makeover of her house before he arrived.  He wanted new windows, a bit of armor plating in the ceiling, 14,000 policemen standing around outside and a few Texas Ranger posters on the wall of the Belgian Suite.  I wondered if maybe his mama forgot to teach him manors.  Of course I do realize that George W is not just any ordinary man and that Buckingham Palace is not a doublewide in Morgan County.  But still, manners are manners – even if you are the President, but especially if you are representing us Americans to the British.  

People here seem a bit divided about the visit.  Most say that the president of the United States has every right to stop by and say hello.  The Brits remember with fondness the days when their Empire ruled the seas.  They still like to think they are important folks somewhere in the world (all those weapons they sell helps this image). 

They don’t particularly like Bush – they think he is a bully and a dangerous threat to world stability – but they are prepared to be polite and “put their best foot forward.”

But it is still a bit hard for them to swallow when fully half of all the policemen in the country have been assigned to guard the President during his visit.  The news programs report how much the trip is going to cost British taxpayers (around $10 million) at the same time reporting that a woman had to travel 250 miles to find an empty hospital bed where she could have her baby.

Then there are the 100,000 people who are expected to take to the streets of London to give their “guest” a message that they are not entirely pleased with his behavior.  Being British, they will be civil about it.  They have met with the police ahead of time to make sure everyone is happy with the planned protest route and that nobody’s garden is disturbed. 

They will spend hours getting there, by train and by bus.  They will carry their signs, shout polite slogans and likely freeze in a persistent and cold drizzle.

George W will not see any of this, as he will be kept far away from the nastiness.  When you travel with an entourage of 700 people, you generally don’t get very close to people who don’t agree with you. 

The President and his handlers will probably leave England feeling they have been quite clever.  Their hosts will have been polite and gracious.  But they all will have missed an opportunity.

Before the visit, the average British citizen was of two minds.  They generally like America a lot.  They love the idea of a country where you have space to spread out and an opportunity to succeed if you are clever and lucky.  They admire the power of America but resent the way it has been abused.  They consider themselves America’s best friend in the world, but worry that this friendship is one sided.

So George W came to dinner and had an opportunity to mend a few fences with a gift or two, plus a little humble pie.  The Queen’s dinner guest will be sadly disappointing.