It's Amateur Hour!

Obama promised us a new era of diplomacy. What he didn't tell us was that it was a new era of ineptitude.

First was the big snub of the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Mr. Diplomatic insult to our most important ally and friend was duly noted by the UK Press:

Mr Brown handed over carefully selected gifts, including a pen holder made from the wood of a warship that helped stamp out the slave trade - a sister ship of the vessel from which timbers were taken to build Mr Obama's Oval Office desk. Mr Obama's gift in return, a collection of Hollywood film DVDs that could have been bought from any high street store, looked like the kind of thing the White House might hand out to the visiting head of a minor African state.

This, of course, was after no state dinner and no joint presser.

Now why would Mr. Obama treat Mr. Brown that way? Incompetence? Maybe.

British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.

There is an office within the bowels of the White House that is supposed to deal with matters of protocol. They are normally tasked to plan and choreograph any state visit, be it the Prime Minister of Great Britain, or the President of Unknownistan. Every diplomatic function, from summit to informal, low level talks, comes under the purview of this office.

What was the excuse of the White House?

Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been "overwhelmed" by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.

British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.

They seemed to not know how to handle a visit from a top level ally. What else doesn't Obama and his aides know? And to top it off, Mr. Obama seems to be a bit overwhelmed at the sheer magnitude of work that crosses his desk.

Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president's surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.

A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama's inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to "even fake an interest in foreign policy".

The world is going to hell in a hand basket and the president can't be bothered!

Can you imagine what the press would be saying if George W. Bush did something like this? Fortunately, Mr. Bush wasn't as inept as this amateur seems to be.

Next is Hillary Clinton's Dan Quayle Moment with her Russian counterpart:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with a gift bearing an incorrect translation -- one that implied hostility, rather than peacemaking.

Clinton presented Lavrov with a gift-wrapped red button, which said "Reset" in English and "Peregruzka" in Russian. The problem was, "peregruzka" doesn't mean reset. It means overcharged, or overloaded.

And Lavrov called her out on it.

"We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?" Clinton asked Lavrov.

"You got it wrong," Lavrov said. "This says 'peregruzka,' which means overcharged."

Do we not have a Russian translator at State? It probably was the wrong button. That one was meant for us tax payers. Again, if this was done under the Presidency of Bush, he would have been made a laughingstock, but because it was Hillary under Obama, not much is said.

One last thing. Remember when Obama told us this on during the campaign:

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

And when he got to the Oval Office:

WASHINGTON — The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

Guess what he said only applies to us commoners.

I'll leave Biden alone. His gaffes are legendary and he makes Quayle's "potatoe" moment look absolutely genius.

Obama ran a fine campaign, but as was pointed out numerous times during that campaign., running the country and a political campaign are two different animals. So far, he isn't getting a passing grade.

Obama promised us he would cut the budget and he promised transparency as he did it. So far, there have been no cuts and the process is opaque. He's raised spending by trillions and the process was as clear as mud.

What we have in charge of this country is two individuals who don't have the slightest idea as to what they are doing. It's scary!

VW