Obama wags his finger in the face of Canadian PM Harper
When people wag a finger in my face, I reach out and cover their hand and say some variation of “don’t say another word to me until you put that finger away.” The variations are not always courtly, but they get the point across.
Awful picture. Awful optics. But I get the impression that Obama and his crew think these sorts of pictures make him look good. He’s sticking it to the man, or something.
The look on Harper’s face, I can’t read. He’s either cowed or repressing his own anger. He appears to be looking directly at Obama’s finger. He is making a fist. Anyone want to supply a caption?
I miss the swaggering cowboy. He may have been tongue-tied; he may have screwed up with an errant backrub, but he didn’t bow to royalty, he didn’t give embarrassing gifts to allies, he didn’t show the Dalai Lama the back door. He never said to a visiting ally (paraphrased) “I’m gonna go have dinner with Laura, and if you decide to obey me, I’ll be around.”
He didn’t shove his finger in the face of another country’s prime minister.
But he was considered the boor.
UPDATE:
From JasperJava, in the comments section, an amusing quicktime video of Obama’s meet-and-greets at the summit. You can see Harper at about 47 seconds in, and things look more genial.
It is, of course, difficult to gauge a shutterclick, and we probably shouldn’t build on passing instants, after all.
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Mr. “Wonderful”, Bush isn’t president anymore. Obama is. The buck stops with him, now.
(I still miss Reagan, myself!)
Doc, I’m afraid a lot of Obama voters were thinking stuff like “Hope ‘n Change.” They didn’t take the time to actually take a long, hard look at the guy. Or, if they did, they hoped that it would just work out somehow.
Hope ‘n change (sigh).
“I want to grab Obama voters by the shoulders and shake them, asking, ‘What were you thinking, what were you thinking?’”
We all hoped Obama would send the black helicopters to drag morons like you to Gitmo. Yes, we were disappointed…
Canada gave out booklets prior to hosting the Olympics, showing proper etiquette.
One of the itemes listed was how to show someone what direction to go, WITHOUT POINTING, since pointing was considered rude.
Maybe Canada, should send The One, a copy.
I’m fairly sure that you’re very stupid. No, make that very sure.
RS and Doc
Yes, he has degraded the presidency, but what I have found most disturbing, from the beginning, is his actions intending to diminish the country. The apology tour was all about destroying the moral authority of America (as some are now trying to do to the Pope and the Church). His smiling face pictured behind the sole of his shoes atop the president’s desk in the Oval Office just makes me gag.
I don’t remember who said it (Mark Steyn?), but he seems to see his “historic” role as “managing the decline” of America. I think he is drastically accelerating the decline, but that’s just my opinion.
Went to an “Audience with an Astronaut” recently with my 6th grader. Had to fight depression the whole time as I listened and watched those fresh young American faces, knowing we’re coming up on the country’s last shuttle mission and this president’s policies are putting us into a death spiral. We not only won’t be “reaching for the stars” under this guy, we’ll be lucky to avoid total collapse.
We just finished Acts in our Bible study yesterday. I understand that Paul’s suffering and persecution were necessary for the spread of the Gospel. I believe God has a plan and I’m willing to trust him, but I can’t help worrying and, frankly, mourning for our young people. The world will be a crueler place when America is diminished.
the picture is so obviously photo shopped. how desperate are you?? do something useful with your time like donate to a food pantry…oh, right, I forgot, the hungry and the homeless are responsible for their own plight, right?
[I've helped out in my local food pantry, with youth groups and in the local "soup kitchen" and at the local hospital. Are stereotypes all you know? That's just sad. -admin]
CAPTION: “This photograph will be tsk-tsk’d by paranoid wingnut with delusions of omniscience”
ALTERNATIVE CAPTION: “So I said, ‘Hey Anchoress, Pull My Finger!’”
This is rich: “Didn’t anyone ever teach him that it’s rude to point? We don’t do that in America. And we don’t bow either.” [Jeff #3]
Yes, in America, we don’t bow. But, in other countries they have customs and culture which, as a visiting dignitary, are honored out of respect. Your lack of understand in foreign culture doesn’t surprise me — Jeff is paraphrasing Mark Levin.
[On that note, we'll close comments; conversation has run its course, and I can't sit here all day moderating for foul language and slander -admin]