What Jane Austen hath wrought

I'm at a loss to describe how appalled I am about the coverage of the Queen's visit to D.C., breathlessly recounted in the WaPo. The coverage reads like a bad romance novel, with dreary descriptions of pointless protocol and charmingly staged vignettes of "everyday life" at the White House:

President Bush welcomed the queen with a royal faux pas about her age, suggesting she had witnessed American independence in 1776. Expressing admiration for her long friendship with the United States, Bush noted that Elizabeth had dined with 10 presidents and had "helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 . . ." He quickly caught and corrected his mistake, "in 1976."

Her Majesty did not appear to be amused.

Laughter rippled across the South Lawn, but the queen, who celebrated her 81st birthday last month, shot Bush a look that he sheepishly acknowledged "only a mother could give a child."

It wasn't his only comeuppance of the day.

Laura Bush acknowledged she and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had tag-teamed Bush to coax him into white tie for the White House's most formal dinner of his presidency.

"Dr. Rice and I took it upon ourselves to talk him into it, because we thought if we were ever going to have a white-tie event, this would be the one," Mrs. Bush told reporters.

For fuck's sake. Getting disciplined by his "mother?" Being "tag-teamed" by Laura and Condi? Barbara Cartland couldn't pack any more innuendo in there.

And someone please explain to me again why everyone has to walk on eggshells around this woman?