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President George Bush embellished his reputation for verbal gaffes Monday as he reluctantly prepared to don white tie and tails for a lavish state banquet in honor of Queen Elizabeth II.
The queen, a sprightly 81, gave an embarrassed Bush a gracious nod after he suggested she had celebrated the United States' founding in 1776.
He meant to say she had attended 1976 bicentennial festivities.
"She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child," the president quipped, earning a reserved chuckle from his guest.
The president and the queen took markedly different approaches to their formal remarks.
Bush focused on the partnership between the United States and Britain in Iraq and against terrorism.
In just four minutes, he mentioned "freedom" and "liberty" seven times.
"Your majesty, I appreciate your leadership during these times of danger and decision," he said.
By contrast, the queen said her fifth journey to the United States was an occasion to "step back from our current preoccupations."
Later, Laura Bush made her own minor calendar mistake. She flubbed the year that she and her husband attended the state dinner hosted by President Bush in honor of the queen, saying it was in 1993.
Unlike George Bush who has a favorability rating of 28% as of last week, public affection has increased for Elizabeth, now 81. She enjoys cozy favorability ratings with the American public -- increasing from 71 percent to 77 percent, according to several Gallup polls taken in the past five years.
President George Bush embellished his reputation for verbal gaffes Monday as he reluctantly prepared to don white tie and tails for a lavish state banquet in honor of Queen Elizabeth II.The queen, a sprightly 81, gave an embarrassed Bush a gracious nod after he suggested she had celebrated the United States' founding in 1776.
He meant to say she had attended 1976 bicentennial festivities.
"She gave me a look that only a mother could give a child," the president quipped, earning a reserved chuckle from his guest.
The president and the queen took markedly different approaches to their formal remarks.
Bush focused on the partnership between the United States and Britain in Iraq and against terrorism.
In just four minutes, he mentioned "freedom" and "liberty" seven times.
"Your majesty, I appreciate your leadership during these times of danger and decision," he said.
By contrast, the queen said her fifth journey to the United States was an occasion to "step back from our current preoccupations."
Later, Laura Bush made her own minor calendar mistake. She flubbed the year that she and her husband attended the state dinner hosted by President Bush in honor of the queen, saying it was in 1993.
Unlike George Bush who has a favorability rating of 28% as of last week, public affection has increased for Elizabeth, now 81. She enjoys cozy favorability ratings with the American public -- increasing from 71 percent to 77 percent, according to several Gallup polls taken in the past five years.
1 comment:
Perhaps I'll move to Canada...
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