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It is customary for visiting dignitaries to exchange small symbolic gifts. In some countries the gifts might be more than simply symbolic. They could be indicators of esteem, relative power, diplomatic conditions and more. For the US and European nations, however they are usually symbolic.

That's why the Messiah's performance on this insignificant little matter after his first 70 days is so indicative of the total incompetence of his administration.

The first noticeable faux pas was the boxed set of DVDs for Prime Minister Gordon Brown when he visited the US. Are the entire staff so parochial and ignorant they didn't know that the discs were incompatible with European video standards? All one would have to do is shop on Amazon to see the different regions that discs are certified for. So, he gives a high-school prom gift and it doesn't work. "It isn't the gift, it's the lack of thought behind it."

Now this:

Where's His Lord Chamberlain?

He gives the British sovereign, a woman in her early '80s, an iPod! Can any sober individual get a picture of the Queen wondering through Buckingham with earbuds stuck in her royal auditory canals listening to downloads of last night's American Idol performances?

Don't we have an ambassador there? Can't he draw upon his culture, breeding and familiarity with the process to offer a little counsel to his President on an appropriate gift? Where is the chamberlain to whisper in the Messiah's ear what he needs to do in a formal dinner or a meeting with a head-of-state?

I mean really, isn't this a bit adolescent? Maybe he'll have a cell phone from a local US company to present to Russian premier Medvedev.