President Bush is representing the United States of America on a
highly formal, carefully orchestrated state visit to England.
Air Force One lands and comes to a stop at one end of a bright
red carpet along which the President strides to join Queen
Elizabeth II in a beautiful, ornate 17th-century coach hitched to six
enormous matched white horses. The coach proceeds through the
streets of London en route to Buckingham Palace. The Queen and the
President all-the-while waving to the cheering crowds.
Then suddenly the right rear horse produces a thunderous,
cataclysmic fart that reverberates through the air and rattles the
door latches on the coach. Uncomfortable, the reaction of the two
powerful figures is to focus their attentions elsewhere and behave
as if nothing extraordinary had happened.
But the Queen is the first to realize that ignoring what had just
happened is ridiculous. She explains, "Mr. President, please accept
my regrets. I'm sure you understand that there are some things
which even a Queen cannot control."
President Bush replies, "Your Majesty, please don't give the matter
another thought. If you hadn't said something I would have
thought it was one of the horses."