He should be handing out "mix" tapes he makes himself.

The first song on the tapes........ "Don't Stop Believin'"

Well i guess it could have been worst he could have gave her a replica of the Declaration of indepence but then at least that would be funny!

Hopefully it was at least loaded with music, who knows...he could have put some files on it with information for her eyes only...

Im also surprised he didnt give a gift basket of Oprah's favorite books.

He shoud of gave her a copy of windows vista, that would of been the ultimate in americas exports.

The hug part gave me a chuckle as well.

I agree more thought should have gone into the gift but it is very American.

As for the gift from the Queen. If she gives one to every dignitary and she has been the Queen forever, imagine how many of these signed pictures are in the White House. There must be hundreds in a closet somewhere.

Whatever happened to it's the thought that count?

I value many of the opinions that state that he should have been more considerate and thoughtful in the gifts that he select and agree that he probably should have. However, a gift of any kind is not going to solve the problems we have, make any country like us anymore or any less, or help us in any way. By today the gift will be stored away with all the other gifts the queen has received over her life span and all will be forgotten.

*groan* Oh man ... not again.
I think I'd rather have the cheapo 25 Walmart DVDs.
This is pathetic.

People should be aware; especially in regards to the British that Barack Obama does have something as a personal axe to grind.

His paternal Grandfather from Africa was at first an employee of the British Colonials ruling the nation, and then a political prisoner of the British Colonials ruling his nation.

Historical accounts show his grandfather as being tortured almost daily for a period of two years, and tortured in ways that left him scarred, handicapped and dysfunctional in many capacities for the remainder of his life.

His torture at the hands of his British jailers was considered to be so severe that the world ‘miracle’ is associated with the fact that the Obama patriarch survived it at all.

I wouldn’t look for Obama to be handing out any prizes to the British and they are well aware of why Obama might chose to be less than cordial.

For you Obama fans drinking the Kool-Aid study up on your idol for goodness sakes!

For those who aren’t Obama fans at least learn and know what little there is to know about the man.

There really is a reason, and a fairly reasonable one why Obama is only lukewarm towards the British.

More ominously I suspect that the light he holds the British in is not all that dissimilar to the light he holds constitutionalists in.

Ok, an iPod is a little better but it's still a cheap gift for a Queen.
Knowing Obama it's probably used and out of the box but whatever the case, it's still impersonal.
Now that he runs GM he should have promised to name the next line of vehicles after her.
That would have made a better gift.

What I'm worried about is if Brits now think all Americans are cheapskates?
..or even worse, will they think blacks are cheapskates?

Originally posted by greeneyedleo
Who said anyting about VALUE. It would have been more thoughtful and caring if he sat down, pulled out the crayons and colored her a picture and gave her THAT.

And then the complaints would have been about the colors he chose, and why. Not to mention all sorts of other conspiracy mumbo jumbo that surely would have followed.

The President of the United States in the Oval Office with Crayolas. Yeah, there's a promising headline.

The digital audio player (of which the iPod is but one) was invented by a Brit, Ken Kramer, in 1979. The iPod is manufactured in Chinese slave factories where employess work 15 hrs each day for little more than $50 per month.

The American connection is what, exactly ? Oh that's right. The Americans screwed over a Brit out of his patent money & exploited some little foreign beggars. And the profits go to the USA. YAY !! Nothing new about that then. Ain't globalisation brilliant ?

But to give this piece of utter crap .... (and she'll outlive this iPod, trust me on that)



to the 82 year old Queen & Head of State of 16 countries, a woman who owns this ....



just has to be the diplomatic blunder of the year (so far).

What's Obama going to give to Angela Merckel ? Clicked heels and a Heil Hitler ? I'm sorry, that President of yours is a muppet and his protocol advisers need hanged.