Obama Snubs UK and Margaret Thatcher

Obama must genuinely detest the British giants of the 20^th Century.  He sent back the bust of Winston Churchill.  Now, he is sending no one from his administration (other than perhaps the Ambassador to the UK) to the funeral of Margaret Thatcher.

The excuse?

The US embassy insisted no snub was intended, but confirmed that Mr Baker and Mr Schulz would represent the US.

'This is a hugely significant week in terms of US domestic politics,' a spokesman added.

He said that both the First Lady and the Vice President were 'the President's point people on gun control', adding: 'This is a week when there is a lot of movement on Capitol Hill on gun control issues.'

Are we really supposed to buy that?  Give me a break.

And, no, sending Reagan-era allies is not good enough.  (And I highly suspect they were going anyway.)  At least the Vice-president or Secretary of State should go.  But, no, Obama just had to snub the UK (again) and Margaret Thatcher.

It would make me ashamed to be an American.  But Obama is hardly an American president.

I am no fan of Speaker Boehner either, but he has the common sense and decency to send a delegation of Congressmen to the funeral.

Johnny Rotten: Thatcher Death Parties are “Loathsome.”

I love Johnny Rotten, aka John Lydon.  (Yes, I have my punk side.  Yes, I love Queen Elizabeth and The Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen.”  Yes, I have my contradictions.)  But I was dreading what he might say about the passing of Margaret Thatcher.  I revere him and was afraid he would disappoint me.

Instead, he made my lunchtime.  I just found out he has rightly called the Thatcher death street parties “loathsome”:

When someone dies, give them respect. Enemy or not. I can't be listening to folk who do that.

What kind of politics are they offering me? You dance on another person's grave? That's loathsome.

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Her politics were really dreadful [disagree! – ed.] and derisive [Agree, but I liked that about her. – ed.] and caused a great many issues for me when I was young, for all of us trying to go through that.

But that don't mean I am gonna dance on her grave, as they say. I'm not that kind of person.

I was her enemy in her life but I will not be her enemy in her death. I am not a coward.

Would those who partied in the streets had the class and perspective of John Lydon.  Thank you, Johnny Rotten.

Margaret Thatcher R. I. P.

There are so many things I saw over the weekend on which I could blog that I can hardly keep track of them.  But I cannot let the news of the passing of Margaret Thatcher this morning pass without comment.

Margaret Thatcher was a great heroine of freedom . . . and a heroine of mine.  I loved how she stuck to her guns and put the Left, both of the Labour and of the Soviet varieties, in their place in her wonderful hectoring style.  That she was right and espoused basic common sense infuriated her foolish opponents that much more.

Even in her death, there are many that still hate her.  Well, if a woman is known by her enemies, her greatness is confirmed that much more.

I remember the past words of a past political co-worker and friend, Earl Ashe.  Now he was even more plain-spoken than yours truly, so I dare not repeat his exact words here.  But the gist of them is that Margaret Thatcher was about the only leader across the Atlantic who had any manhood to speak of – ironic and too true.

I could go on and on.  I revered the Iron Lady and still do.

The most interesting and thoughtful remembrance of her that I’ve come across comes from Cranmer.  Enjoy and remember.