AP Photo/Rob Griffith; caption
An intriguing caption on this photo --
George W. Bush, center, is greeted by an unidentified Australian official upon his arrival at the Sydney airport ..
Knowing Commonwealth protocol, one thinks: shouldn't that be the Governor-General at the bottom of the stairs? Heading over to the diligently updated Governor-General's website, we see --
On Tuesday, 4 September 2007, at Defence Establishment Fairbairn, ACT, Their Excellencies the Governor-General Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC and Mrs Marlena Jeffery attended the Ceremonial Arrival of the President of the People's Republic of China, His Excellency Hu Jintao
And in the last paragraph of a long court circular-type news release --
Later, the Governor-General was represented at Sydney International Airport at the arrival in Australia of the President of the United States of America, the Honourable George W. Bush, by Colonel Bill Monfries, an Honorary Aide-de-Camp.
As certain bloggers like to say, Ouch!
UPDATE: The White House has posted an official photo.
FINAL UPDATE: Despite, or maybe because of, the absence of any top dogs at the arrival ceremony, Bush went into slang mode: "We're kicking ass."
ONE MORE: The Financial Times shows that the symbolism was real -- Bush was left in the shade by Hu throughout the week.
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