Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt: President G. Bush, USA, generated protocol problems for many of the potentates & their advisors over the past weekend.
While certainly a head of state, the Bush presidency does not take precedence over feudal hierarchies, especially when arranging seating at tables, hosting of events, order of precedence for entering & leaving rooms, playing of national anthems, etc.
With varying degrees of Arabic aristocracy at the meeting, it was a difficult task for the diplomatic staffs to sort things out. In the presence of kings, sheiks, caliphs, pashas & bashas, imams, ayatollahs, dictators, poobahs & ministers of all sorts, the event seemed doomed to etiquette problems amongst democracies, monarchies, dictatorships & juntas.
At a late night meeting, however, all was resolved with the brilliant comment by a young Lebanese protocol officer. She stated, "President Bush is a monarch, in fact he is king of the largest group known and the foremost, stand-out leader here at the conference of the World Economic Forum."
The grumbling & curses could be heard for hundreds of feet. Finally, the speaker pointed out that each & every leader could be told that Bush was at the forum as King of the Idiots, perhaps the most populous group on planet Earth. "Praise be to Allah," said one of the mullahs, "such wisdom of youth is a genuine blessing. And we may also see him now as a reigning prince since our eyes have been opened to the truth."
So, as Bush gave his speech, chiding & chastising the leaders of Middle Eastern nations, insulting both princes & potentates, elected & selected, each of the grandees chuckled inwardly as they heard the empty words of George xliii, King of Fools, Prince of Idiots, and the empty sound of tinkling brass.
"Good-bye George & don't let the door break your nose on the way out. Don't call us; we'll call you. We'll get together any day now & discuss pumping more oil--any day now, real soon."
