During the April 1 edition of his Fox News show, citing Telegraph reporter Toby Harnden, Sean Hannity criticized a U.S. press kit on the United Kingdom reportedly handed out by the White House for purportedly “downgrad[ing] our view of the country, once referred to as our closest ally, to, quote, 'one of the United States' closest allies.' ” Hannity also said of the press kit: "[I]t read more like a children's book. Like the description of the U.K., which said it was, quote, “slightly smaller than Oregon.' ” However, the exact phrases Hannity criticized were used in the State Department's “Background Notes” issued during the Bush administration.

From the State Department's U.K. “Background Notes” issued in May 2005 [emphases added]:

PROFILE

OFFICIAL NAME:

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Geography

Area: 243,000 sq. km. (93,000 sq. mi.); slightly smaller than Oregon.

[...]

U.S.-UNITED KINGDOM RELATIONS

The United Kingdom is one of the United States' closest allies, and British foreign policy emphasizes close coordination with the United States. Bilateral cooperation reflects the common language, ideals, and democratic practices of the two nations. Relations were strengthened by the United Kingdom's alliance with the United States during both World Wars, and its role as a founding member of NATO, in the Korean conflict, in the Persian Gulf War, and in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The United Kingdom and the United States continually consult on foreign policy issues and global problems and share major foreign and security policy objectives.

The same phrases appear in U.K. “Background Notes” posted on the State Department's website from 2001-08, as well as in the current backgrounder issued in March 2009.

From the April 1 edition of Fox News' Hannity:

HANNITY: And tonight in “Hannity's America”: School is in session on board the White House press charter yesterday, as it traveled to the G-20 summit in London. Now, according to the Telegraph reporter Toby Harnden, White House staffers distributed press kits to members of the media that was supposed to help inform them about their destination. But instead, it read more like a children's book.

Like the description of the U.K., which said it was, quote, “slightly smaller than Oregon.” More importantly, however, Harnden noted that the document isn't going to help improve relations between the U.S. and Great Britain, either. It seems that the Obama team has downgraded our view of the country, once referred to as our closest ally, to, quote, “one of the United States' closest allies.”

And even the bios included were a bit, well, liberal with the facts. Hillary Clinton's didn't mention that she ran against Mr. Obama for president, but instead says only that she, quote, “campaigned for the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.” Another brilliant foreign policy move by team Obama. You know, they're truly hitting the reset button on all of our relations with countries all over the world. Ladies and gentlemen, that is not a good thing.