british
05/08/2007
Bush Amuses the Queen
Look, it’s clear President Bush meant well. He made a tiny slip of the tongue – saying that Queen Elizabeth II took part in the bicentennial celebration in 1776, rather than 1976 – and then he tried to acknowledge his error with good humor by saying, “She gave me a look only a mother can give a child.” But I fear that, etiquette-wise, when you open by saying a woman’s dined with ten U.S. Presidents (which, let’s face it, already draws attention to the fact that she’s, um, of a certain age) and follow up by implying that she’s been around for two hundred and thirty years, your best way out of the hole is probably not comparing her to your mother.
03/13/2007
The (Oval) Office
Finally, a video that combines my two favorite things: political satire and British comedy. Created by gentlemen who really get the show they're parodying, this animated send-up of The Office (specifically, the British version) actually works really well. The tone is dead-on, and the animation flawlessly mimics the show's documentary-style cinematography.
Part of CurrentTV's Super News series, The (Oval) Office portrays George Bush as the clueless boss with a nickname for everyone -- making him well-suited to fill in for David Brent. And Tony Blair as Bush's desperate-for-approval sycophant is also perfect casting.
The only catch is that this short feels slightly out of date. The specific episode of The Office being referenced aired in 2001. And Blair hasn't been super-cozy with Bush lately, especially since becoming Britain's least-popular post-war Labour Prime Minister and announcing that he would step down in 2007. Funny is funny, though, and Condi smacking Blair in the face for getting hands-y is hilarious. America really is a big tease.
