OK, you're the young, mould-breaking, rockstar president of the US of A. You're on a visit to Britain that features (among other stuff) tea at Buck House, your first ever encounter with Her Maj. You've already been chastised, and not in a kind way, by the British press for presenting their prime minister with a gift of 25 Great American Movies on DVDs that may or may not have been compatible with British machinery.
So now what do you give their octogenarian monarch who, you can safely assume, already has everything she could ever want? An iPod, of course. Engraved, certainly. Personalised, too. But still an iPod. Cue outrage in America ("Confirms Obama hasn't figured out presidential gift-giving" - NBC; "Well, it's better than a bunch of DVDs that don't work" - Christian Science Monitor) and Britain ("She already has one" - the Daily Telegraph; "My Husband and iPod" - The Sun).
Difficult as this is to believe, the Queen already owned an iPod, a 6GB silver model acquired as long ago as 2005 at the suggestion of the ever-hip Prince Andrew. But Obama's gift was a video iPod, loaded with photos and video from the Queen's 2007 state visit to the States as well as archive footage from her 1957 trip; plus pics and audio from President Obama's inauguration, and audio of his speech (as plain Senator Obama) at the 2004 Democratic national convention.
As if that wasn't thoughtful enough, it also contained 40 Great Show Tunes (Her Maj loves show tunes) including Oklahoma!, Some Enchanted Evening, Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend, I Could Have Danced All Night, Maria, The Sound of Music, Hello, Dolly!, Cabaret, Send in the Clowns, If I were a Rich Man and Don't Cry for Me Argentina.
So what to say about this latest Obama pressie? Well, it's (a) surely not inappropriate from such a technologically adept politician and (b) a sight more fun than a photograph*. And when one finds out that it was accompanied by a rare songbook signed by Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame), this iPod loaded with music the Queen adores (her favourite song, when she and Philip were courting, was said to be People Will Say We're In Love, from Oklahoma!) is actually starting to look like a pretty thoughtful gift.
Mainly, though, the image it brings on, of a beheadphoned Maj bopping gaily round the palace to There's No Business Like Show Business, should be enough to quell all carping. Obama: nice one.
(* In exchange, the Obamas were given a signed and framed photograph of the Queen and Prince Philip, their traditional present to honoured visitors.)
