DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME

Dear Readers,

As per usual in a new Presidential administration, the first few weeks are marked by a flurry of activities, events, confrontations and (probably) the sobering realization that the President has one hell of a job on his(or her) hands. This is probably why new Presidents take off on a World tour as soon as they can get Air Force One fueled up.

The G20 summit gave President Obama his excuse to dig out the passport, and while it must be blessed relief from the intense politicking of Warshington, it also provides the first test of how the world sees our new leader - and by extension - us. I must say that I have been rather proud of the way the Obamas have shown the flag, especially Michelle Obama. 

Being the wife of a male politician must be one of the most thankless, difficult, non-official jobs ever conceived. Not only must you behave in a subservient way, you must - at all times- look smart and stylish. This role has been changing somewhat over the last few decades, but when you really get down to it, it remains basically the same as always. There are exceptions, of course. Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy and Hillary Clinton  all expanded the role in various ways, but just think back to Hillary's position during her husband's impeachment nonsense. You'd think women's lib had never happened.

 Mrs. Obama seems not only to accept the incongruity of a brilliant person like herself being relegated to an accessory of her husband, but she has impressed and excelled without being impolitic or incorrect. Sadly, looks and fashion overwhelm substance on the world stage, and how you appear can have an effect on how your words and actions are perceived, and how seriously they are taken. But both Obamas are aware of and equal to the challenge, and it showed this week as they carried out their public duties on behalf of us all. The wife of the French President, Carla Sarkozy, is a former model and entertainer, so she's expected to be the perfect adornment to her husband. (Being from Italy and residing in France, anything less would make her eligible for the death penalty.) As loathe as I am to make comparisons between political wives, I have to say Michelle not only held serve, she took the match as the couples met before the cameras. I know very little about fashion (a quick look at my sartorial efforts would confirm that) but there's just something about Mrs. Obama that makes her seem invincible, no matter what outfit she's seen in. When it comes to fashion, she really knows her onions. Resistance is useless.

In a video clip that, thanks to You Tube, has become the most analyzed motion picture since the Zapruder film (The JFK Assassination, for those of you who think history began on the first season of American Idol), Mrs. Obama, at a reception at Buckingham Palace where the First Couple met the Royals, is seen to put her arm around The Queen in a graceful, yet totally honest and human gesture of friendship. And to add to the shock of someone actually touching the Queen, the sovereign herself puts a tentative arm around Michelle's waist, only to drop it away, as Elizabeth II  must have suddenly remembered where she was and who she was. If nothing else, this must surely certify the personal charm and magnetism of Mrs. Obama, who surely knows the rules of protocol, but must be one of the most assured and poised public figures of our age, totally comfortable in her own skin. And it spoke well of The Queen, too, as even she must weary of the sycophantic toadys and their wives who curtsy and scrape in their hideous lampshade hats when presented at the palace. Michelle is guilty of no diplomatic faux pas, she merely - in one, small gesture- showed all that was great about America. I also got a real kick out of how tall the Obamas were in comparison to The Queen and Prince Philip. That picture, of the four of them standing together, pretty much said it all, yet everybody was smiling.

Though I've never been invited to the palace, I take no offence and continue to enjoy my English-made kettle, for somewhere, the clock approaches 4 o'clock, signalling that it's time to toast the Royal couple with a cuppa. Here's to you, HMQ!