Jim Tumbls.

boutofcontext:

The New York Times ran Larger Than Life in London this weekend. A.A. Gill spent the opening paragraphs analyzing the little things; specifically, this scene of Obama engaging the police officer posted in front of 10 Downing:

IT’S invariably the little…unrehearsed things that snag our attention, and seem to be telling of the bigger things. In the case of Barack Obama’s first visit to London and the Group of 20…it was the handshake with the bobby that seemed to be emblematic. In a forest of waving palms, this handshake meant more.

As the president stepped up to 10 Downing Street, he leant over, made eye contact, said something courteous, and shook the hand of the police officer standing guard. There’s always a police officer there; he is a tourist logo in his ridiculous helmet. He tells you that this is London, and the late 19th century. No one has ever shaken the hand of the policeman before, and like everyone else who has his palm touched by Barack Obama, he was visibly transported and briefly forgot himself.

These acts are typical of Obama thus far, and contrast with Brown’s, allegedly classist, obliviousness. This grainy video shows Brown leaving the officer hanging on the attempt to shake his hand. Per Gill:

It isn’t that Mr. Brown snubbed the police officer; he just didn’t see him. To a British politician, a police officer is as invisible as the railings.

While our President struggles mastering the nuances of high diplomacy, not the least of which - appropriate gifting to dignitiaries, it’s nice seeing him conduct himself among the people with such facility.