Obama's Eurography: France = Texas

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Obama's Eurography: France = Texas

by Mark Silva

The British press are having no end of fun with the portrayal of their homeland"slightly smaller than Oregon''by the White House of the arriving American president who celebrated the British prime minister's visit to Washington with a boxed set of movie DVDs.

The U.K., the Telegraph's Toby Harnden notes of the press briefing book that the White House press office handed out to the traveling press departing from Andrews Air Force Base, is "generally mild and temperate'' and the "group of islands close to continental Europe'' has been "subject to many invasions and migrations.''

Wondering how all of this will help that "special relationship'' between the United States and Great Britain, Harnden takes special note of the description of Queen Elizabeth, who "enrolled as a girl Guide when she was eleven, and later became a Sea Ranger'' and during the war "put on pantomimes with the children of members of staff for the enjoyment of her family and employees of the Royal Household.''

(The White House hasn't divulged its gift for the queen yet -- the president will visit Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.)

The U.K. is not alone, however, in being likened to an American state. Germany is "about the size of Montana,'' the briefing book notes of other stops along the president's weeklong tour, the Czech Republic is "about the size of Virginia,'' and France, the largest nation in Europe, is "about four-fifths the size of Texas.''

For the record, the author notes:

Oregon: Pop. 3.7 million.

U.K.: More than 60 million.

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