THE QUEEN AND THE FIRST - AT 7:15 P.M. ET:  The most reported moment surrounding the G20 meeting in London involved the first lady, Michelle Obama, putting her arm around the waist of Queen Elizabeth II.  It wasn't history-making.  It wasn't politically important.  But, no matter what our view of Mr. Obama's policies, it was touching.  The British press, though, in the person of Clive Aslet of The Telegraph, remind us of certain realities.  This is just good writing.  It thought you'd be interested:

And when Mrs Obama – no Lizard of Oz, as Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating was dubbed when he dared to put his arm around the Queen in 1992 – committed a similar breach of protocol by placing her hand on the royal back, what was the response? Could one believe one's eyes? A tiny gloved hand crept around the First Lady's back, the arm attached to it too short to go more than half way. Is this what psychiatrists call the disinhibition of old age? No, the Queen perfectly judged the situation. She wanted the Obamas, two emotionally explicit people, to feel among friends. She bent the rules. She got it right. We knew she would.

But despite her genuine pleasure at meeting the 44th President of the United States and his wife, one thing was clear: she wasn't enjoying the encounter half as much as them. The Obamas may be the world's biggest celebrities, but the minute they walked into Buckingham Palace they were dealing with the biggest box office draw of them all.

COMMENT:  Well said. 

April 2, 2009