The Black Sheep and the Queen

In recounting the Queen’s trip to the US, the BBC shares this story.

Reputedly, when they met in 1991 during the Queen’s visit to the White House of George Bush senior, George junior introduced himself to the Queen as the “black sheep of the family”, and asked the Queen who was his equivalent in the Windsor family.

Sadly, the Queen’s reply is not recorded, but young George’s unconventional approach to the British monarch on that occasion was said to have earnt him a very stern look from his mother, the redoubtable Barbara Bush.

The article goes on to review the gaffe Bush made in yesterday’s Rose Garden in painstaking detail, and it also notes that the Queen barely mentioned Iraq during her visit.

This is one area in which I’m behind the president. Certainly his goofs on the world stage can be embarrassing, but I don’t consider standing on ceremony for a queen to be the most pressing item on the national agenda — especially when she timed her visit to go hang out with the silly people at the Kentucky Derby this past weekend. The shame of not mentioning Iraq is the real story here.

Friday Funnies

Because it’s Friday afternoon and I don’t feel like writing anything substantive, go check out the New Yorker trashing Spider-Man 3, and enjoy the following two hilarious YouTube clips. The first is called “The Gayest Weatherman Ever!!!”

The second is a compilation of Jimmy Kimmel’s “unnecessary censorship” feature that nearly made me wet myself the other day.

Happy weekend, and if you’re at the Derby, make fun of the silly hats and have a mint julep for me.