Those reserved Brits

"We regard the matter as now closed" -- Fleischer/McClellan making another attempt to move us all on from the falsehoods in the case for war? No, Buckingham Palace commenting after a streaker ran through a garden party for the Queen yesterday. There is less alarm about this incident than when a stunt comedian, dressed as Osama Bin Laden (or so he said, it wasn't a very good costume) crashed the Prince William birthday party last month. The streaker was an invited guest, so there were no security implications. The Queen was saved from embarrassment when he was tackled by the Beefeaters (i.e. like the dude on the gin bottle). Reading reports on the incident, like this one from today's London Times online, makes it clear that sometimes with the Brits, it's hard to tell the difference between comedy and the real thing.

Eyewitnesses described how the youth, who was attending the event with his family, was about ten metres in front of the Queen when he began to streak away from her towards the Royal tea tent.
...Crowds of onlookers cheered as the youth was rugby tackled and apprehended by a Yeoman of the Guard dressed in red and gold ceremonial costume.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the country that was the primary intelligence source on Iraq's nuclear program.