DOES AMERICA NEED A QUEEN?

DOES AMERICA NEED A QUEEN? This question is asked from time to time by people who point out the practical advantages for the United Kingdom in having Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. The argument goes that the Queen and her family bear much of the burden of the ceremonial obligations that the President must perform in the United States. Nicholas Lemann in his review of the Reagan diaries says that, “The Presidency in Reagan’s hands seems almost boring: a ceaseless round of plane flights, official dinners, greetings proffered to groups of visitors, adjudication of squabbles among aides, and flattering phone calls to wavering members of Congress.” The official dinners and the groups of visitors are an important part of the job. I remember that it was Lemann who pointed out years ago that Clinton and Reagan were both extraordinarily good at entertaining visitors and putting them at ease. Lemann speculated that they had developed this talent because each had spent a lot of time in his youth with an alcoholic relative, and had become good at distracting visitors and averting embarrassing situations.