-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
To deflect attention away from the Romney fiasco that his trip to England has become, Charles Krauthammer resurrected an old story: “Obama started his presidency by returning to the British Embassy the bust of Winston Churchill that had graced the Oval Office.” The inference is that this story demonstrates animus between Obama and Britain. The bust had been loaned to then-President George W. Bush from the U.K.’s government art collection, for the duration of his presidency.
As is common practice at the end of a presidency, the White House curator removed all the art lent to the departing tenant. The bust was returned and is on display at the British Ambassador’s residence. According to White House curator William Allman, the decision to return the bust had been made before Obama even arrived.
It turns out that there are two Churchill busts. Another Churchill bust, also by Jacob Epstein, was given to the White House during the Lyndon Johnson administration. That bust is on display in the White House residence and is seen in this photo of Obama with Prime Minister David Cameron.
While Krauthammer does his best to deflect attention from what the British press have dubbed “Mitt The Twit,” the facts don’t support his assertions. James Barbour, press secretary and head of communications for the British Embassy, said “[t]he Churchill Bust story is a silly diversion.” When the spokesman for the British Embassy refers to Krauthammer’s claim as a “silly diversion,” it should be embarrassing for any self-respecting journalist.
H/T: Dan Pfeiffer, Jake Tapper, The Telegraph, CBS News, A White House Diary (Lady Bird Johnson).
Malisha,
According to the Mormons you can’t get into heaven unless you’re a Mormon or are prayed into heaven by a Mormon.
fmcfm, you say the Nazis claimed, “Once a Jew always a Jew.”
Well, OK, but as I understand it, that was not a big bone of contention because most Jews agree with that theory. What we DO NOT agree to is, “Once a Jew kill it,” which came closer to the Nazi philosophy.
Perhaps the issue is that there are some folks running around converting dead gypsies and dead Jews from many generations back so they can all get together in a homogeneous heaven some day, and Mitt Romney might have done some of that. If so, I think he may be guilty of posthumous genocide himself. I mean if life begins at conception, when does it end? If you can commit a crime against someone not yet born, can you commit a tort against someone already dead whose religion you took away in the afterlife? I mean think of it: someone is a good person all his life and follows his religion to the letter and spirit of the law and dies and gets into heaven based upon his righteousness. Part of HEAVEN in his religion is the right to continue to worship god, as an angel or whatever (I’m not hip to all the heavenology stuff).
Then somebody he has never met converts him and he can’t veto that? He all of a sudden can’t keep worshipping any more because now he’s a dead Mormon?
DO NOT LIKE IT!
If Mitt Romney would do this to a dead gypsy, why wouldn’t he do it to YOU?
fmcfm,
Be nice. Maybe he was talking about lawyers.
BarknDog, in his most eloquent voice, proposed that “Once a gypsie, always as gypsie.”
That’s what the Nazis said about Jews. They probably said it about Gypsies too, which may be why they killed them in the same death camps. Congratulations, you’ve found your level.
Mr. Turley, you may be right, but then you need to ask why the Bush team didn’t send the statue back at the end of the term, instead of leaving it for Obama. Standard practice is to leave things in order when you leave. I’d certainly be surprised to find that Bush left things in the White Hose that had to be returned. He might have left any number of items that were on PERMANENT loan though, and he must have accumulated many during his 8 years.
Get a list of these and when they were returned by Obama, and you’ll have support for your theory. But if Bush returned them, then your explanation doesn’t hold water.
I was just looking at the close up of Romney as he left the PMs. He looks like he’s suffering rather severely from jet lag.
Didn’t know that about the derivation of the name Romney. In Europe the Gypsies were known to be excellent horse-traders. In WWII some of them functioned very well as a sort of traveling Underground; some remarkable stories, in fact.
When the Willard gets to Israel they may just take to him. They have a common bond with other folks who were, by virtue of their ethnicity, targeted for genocide by the Nazis. The Romneys are of Romani descent or what are commonly referred to as gypsies. Here is the rap from the Michigan Toilet, an old weekly rag that is out of business in Detroit:
The Romanis are the gypsie people of India who migrated to various parts of the middle east, europe, and points east and west. Those Romani who migrated to the United States, first went to England and are denominated as the:
Romanichal, in the United Kingdom, emigrated also to the United States and Australia;
The Romney family admits to have emigrated from England to the United States in the late 1600s. What the Willard fails now to acknowledge is the history behind the vary storied gypsie name of Romani and the exact family name of Romney which is of course directly from that name. The gypsies moved from Romania, to central Europe and thence to England. The Romani or gypsie tribe is known for nomadic behavior. The English expelled the Romani or gypsies, as best they could, in the late 1600s. A family of romani gypsies emigrated to the North American contintent to the English colonies. The name Romney was thence appelled. Thereafter, a section of this family became what is now described as Mormons. They adopted the family name: Romney. There is no doubt that this family is of Romanich or Romani genetic origin. There is no doubt that the present family of Willard Milton Romney is of Romani or gypsie stock. Once a gypsie, always as gypsie. The Mormon thing was a dodge at first so that they could continue their secretive ways. The next generation took to it. Especially the eight wives thing.
An interesting bit of history:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resolute_desk
raff, George might or might not be, but it is safe to say those who have been taken in by his pleas for money are surely wazzocks in the purest sense of the word.
Hilarious Malisha! GZ is a wazzock!
Now we know what George Zimmerman REALLY said on that tape:
“F*cking Wazzocks!”
Thanks OS! I had a hunch itwasn’t a compliment!!
What? Krauthammer was just trying to show there are bigger twits than Romney out there, right?
Mission accomplished.
raff, wazzock is British slang for “an idiot.” A clueless, daffy person. Definitely not a compliment.
Blouise,
What the heck is a “wazzock”?
Taser, You are absolutely correct, Republicans have cornered the market on dissembling. Democrats are forthcoming, direct, and just plain wonderful.
This was written by an independent who undersatands both parties are full of feces. Anything I read from Taser in the future will be w/ the aforementioned hoeseshit in mind.
I’ll bet no one in the British Government has a bust of George W. Bush or Mildred “Mitt” Romney in their offices.
Republicans and the GOP have all but institutionalized untruth, misdirection, misinterpretation and highlighting words and writing out of context. Using facts and truthful arguments is the great exception. One would think they have a fear of turning to stone if they told the truth. If this were advertising for a product they would be blatantly breaking the law.
Let John Goodman do it.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102216/