Here’s a picture of the POTUS sharing a lighter moment with some other international leaders.
There’s just one tiny little problem. The above happened at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela.
Way to very publicly reinforce the negative stereotype of the “ugly American”, Mr. President.
Sheesh. You think the POTUS would know better than to act like a young teen playing with a Game Boy while attending a freaking state funeral as the senior representative of the United States of America. Even LBJ – as crude and vulgar a man as we’ve ever had serve as POTUS – had better sense and taste than that.
Oh well, at least the First Lady apparently acted like an adult with a bit of dignity. Kudos to her.
It’s the second major public photographic gaffe for the POTUS in the past three days. Three days ago, we had this:
The man with whom the POTUS is shaking hands? That would be Raul Castro.
Yeah – that Raul Castro. As in “Fidel’s brother”.
That also happened in South Africa at an event connected to Mandela’s funeral.
Wonderful. Just freaking wonderful.
Comments
41 responses to “Yeah, That’s Really “Presidential” Behavior”
All that and this http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/12/obamas-afghanistan-experts-stumped-us-death-toll-w/
Makes me feel kinda sad this December day.
But then again I have also seen pictures of Former President Bush who was flying on Airforce One with the President. Sometimes they don’t bother to show all the photos. I still laugh at the look on his wife’s face though.
Stay classy S. Africa….Bush 43 was reportedly booed. Seem to recall Dubya earmarked a staggering amount of money & meds to Africa in battle against AIDS. In fairness, i’m sure there are many who appreciate the work done by fmr Pres Bush.
http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2013/12/10/bush-booed-mandela-memorial/
Devtun: yep – Bush indeed did that in the PEPFAR program, to the tune of multiple billions. It’s saved God-only-knows how many lives in sub-Saharan Africa to date from a slow death from AIDS.
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-07-26/opinions/35487798_1_african-countries-pepfar-antiretroviral-treatment
The current Administration has cut funding for the program. Given the gratitude shown by those helped by the program towards the man responsible for starting it, apparently they don’t want our help any more. So perhaps we should continue cutting that program’s funds – deeply.
Between the juvenile antics and the psychotic signer, I was waiting for someone to say, “Hey, we’re in Africa. Wanna see an elephant?” Then, the pants pockets are pulled out for ears and next, out comes the trunk from between them.
2017 can’t get here fast enough. And memo to the world: fuck you if that’s how you’re going to act after we’ve save your asses and how many of your lives with our blood and treasure. Ungrateful sumbitches.
That he was at a funeral taking selfies like some teenage girl is unbelievably offensive. This is the smart diplomacy we were promised?
That he shook hands with Castro in a public setting, I have less of a problem with. In polite society, we shake hands with all kinds of people we cannot stand. Had he walked near Castro and flipped him the bird, some may have cheered, but, it would be as wrong as the selfies…
Most. Juvenile. And. Narcissistic. President. Ever.
I just wonder what he’ll do next, and it’s only a matter of time until he tops this. Does B. Hussein 0bama answer to anything other than his narcissism?
What? You expected him to act Presidential now? He hasn’t, yet; so what makes this any different?
And for the record, my teenaged daughter know better than to act a fool like that at a memorial service, or else daddy would be very unhappy.
It has now come to the point where The Emperor’s mate is acknowledged to have presented a stately presence. Of course, at home in the USA it’s “All this for a flag?”
What were exepcting from someone who looks at everything as a great photo op?
Ex-PH2: I would expect that someone in his position would KNOW that everything they do is a “photo-op” – and would act accordingly vice as a young teen with a new electronic toy.
Hondo, you left off ‘sarc’.
Re Africa and AIDs. Not too long ago on a segment on The Five, the hosts were asked to name the best Pres or something like that. Jaws dropped when Bob Bechel said W. because of his work in Africa on AIDs and said that it was hugely wrong that W did get the credit he deserved.
Here’s a slide show that I created:
http://www.flickr.com//photos/writesong/sets/72157638578660576/show/with/11324654543/
@7, OT, Nope, I just didn’t think he’d be THAT juvenile, petty, and narcissistic at a Foreign State Funeral, but we’re talking about a POTUS that wouldn’t even shut up when “God Save the Queen” was played in the presence of the Queen herself! OH, and his gift to her wan an iPod with his speeches on it. B. Hussein 0bama has less class than a public school on Sunday!
Ex-PH2: I was not being sarcastic. Anyone in that position SHOULD know they’re being photographed every moment they’re in a public forum, and should act accordingly.
Obviously the POTUS either (1) forgot, (2) didn’t give a damn, or (3) is spectacularly clueless. The first IMO shows incompetence; the latter two, unsuitability for the office.
@16 Hondo — The correct answer is (4) All of the above!
I’d be ROTFLMAO if it wasn’t so pathetic!
Hondo, it’s the ‘tone’, you know. (What!?! There was no tone. I did not hear a tone. What tone?)
I would only add my profound and sincere hope that bodaprez keeps it up for another few months, into the next election cycle. If you look bad, you make everyone associated with you look bad. Whether you all see it or not, there is a subtle but very real shift in the media away from mindlessly worshiping the idiocy that we see every day.
Seems there’s a reason for the (most transparent administration, ever) President to shake hands with Raul Castro:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2522263/Obama-shook-Ra-l-Castros-hand-SIX-MONTHS-secret-U-S-Cuba-talks-report-claims.html
Hondo-there is no “either”, he is “spectacularly clueless” and obviously doesn’t give a damn, but he also may have forgotten he is supposed to act like an adult. Michelle did have to separate him and that groupie…er, the Danish Prime Minister.
Yeah, very interesting how Moochelle changed seats w/ Lion-O to seperate the ravishing Danish PM from da Preezie.
68W58: you could be correct. It’s also possible the man does know better and cares, but forgot. Dunno.
Still, any way you slice it: incompetent or unqualified (or perhaps both).
Some media outlets are saying that it is now racist to call out the President for that selfie. Personally, with it being racist to say anything against the President in any way, I say we remove the biggest factor for the new-found racism in America… Remove the President. Then, people can go back to criticizing the President like they did for 8 years before 0bama and not be racist anymore.
No one ever said the media had either intellect or common sense, Flagwaver.
Let’s also not ignore the fact that in the handshake photo, the SCFOMF (Stuttering Cluster Fuck Of Miserable Failure) is also in a half bow.
Seems he likes bowing to dictators.
@26 Instinct — he’s found it’s easier to take it up the poopshoot if you bend over slightly!
The last time I checked, you have to have a real President to have really Presidential behavior. What WE have, on the other hand, is a wannbe Dictator — with corresponding behavior patterns, apparently.
Tyrannical. Dictator.
Is anyone here really that surprized by his behavior?
I am not!
One other point.
Bono and Bush 43 should have been there representing US. The two of them did more for that shit hole of a country than any other in the past 3 decades.
But what do I know?
The hand-shake is a manufactured non-issue. I really hate to have to cite to Daily Kos (you’ve been warned), but be careful of the glass house you throw stones in: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/10/1261625/-President-Obama-shakes-hands-with-President-Castro-at-Mandela-service-Right-wing-has-memory-lapse
PavePusher: the issue re: Castro – which KOS missed or (more likely) deliberately ignored – is that the problem with the handshake has nothing to do with the nature of the Cuban regime. It’s about diplomatic relations and the message such an act sends. I’m frankly rather surprised you missed that and swallowed KOS’s line of BS.
The US broke diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1960. Since then only one other POTUS has similarly interacted with the Cuban
dictatorhead of state – Slick Willie in 2000.The Clinton Administration didn’t know their azz from a hole in the ground when it came to foreign policy and diplomacy. The same is obviously true of the current Administration.
Hondo, 2 things…..
1. I’m not “buying” anything from DKos.
2. A polite hand-shake at an international event has little or nothing to do with inter-nation diplomatic relations.
oh, and 3. Had we kept up relations with Cuba, we’d have had those assholes out of power by the mid- to late-70’s just through sheer economic power alone.
I’m not so worked up about the Castro handshake, not nearly as exorcised as I would have been had it been with the Iranian President but I can’t get with #3 PavePusher, if doing nothing with them economically doesn’t work, how are we to apply any “economic power”?
Regarding the photo with Castro, put it in perspective:
https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1505080_675920735772244_790335502_n.jpg
and by all reports, while at that moment Michelle O was acting quiet and respectful, just after the snap she was laughing and joining in.
The “selfie” at a funeral behavior is disgusting and disrespectful behavior for anyone, president or otherwise. To be fair to the current president shaking hand with the dictator of a neighboring country, he probably didn’t even know who the hell it was. *sigh* I can only dream of an alternate bizarro world where we have a president taking goofy disrespectful pictures and shaking hands with Mandela at Castro’s funeral…
For the record, Cameron also got guff in the UK for his part in the inappropriate behaviour. He was also questioned about it in the House of Commons to which he replied something along the lines of ‘I was just being polite because she is the daughter in law of Kinnock’..upon which guffaws could be heard from the other parliamentarians….
Still can’t get over the image from the funeral. The one with the black guy standing there, fooling the whole world into thinking he knew what he was doing when he really was a fraud and a phony….oh yeah and there was also that fake sign language guy!
PavePusher: such gestures – particularly between nations that are adversaries – are often used symbolically to send a message or signal changes. Statesmen know this.
Our POTUS apparently does not. Or perhaps he’s decided unilaterally to do something regarding relations with Cuba that rates public debate before implementation.
Either way, I’ve got a problem with that.