Spare a thought for New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, or as he is known in the rest of the world, the "unidentified guest".
Domestically, polls show he's been a popular leader.
But during each of his big moments on the international stage, he seems to attract another small insult that feeds into a wider anxiety among New Zealanders that their country just isn't much noticed or taken seriously.
The latest incident came this week when Key was photographed by the European Pressphoto Agency joking with his British counterpart at Nelson Mandela's funeral.
The caption? "British Prime Minister David Cameron (R) laughs with an unidentified guest ..."
When he visited the Queen this year, the Daily Mail newspaper described "Kay" as a "galloping colonial clot" for breaking royal protocol by discussing his visit and releasing a photo of himself in the queen's private sitting room.
Never mind that it wasn't Key, but a reporter who had taken and distributed the picture.
Then there was Key's goofy 2009 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, during which Key read out the top 10 reasons to visit New Zealand.
Letterman asked the prime minister whether the nation was near Tasmania, how many years the plane ride had taken, and whether New Zealand got mail.
"Why is he out here, Paul?" Letterman asked his band leader, Paul Shaffer.
Click Here To View Full Article
I think that's pretty mean. Goes to show how insignificant they think were are over here in the pacific rim unless the need the warm bodies to help them with their endless wars!
