Hugo Chavez is a thug. He is currently in the process of destroying the country of Venezuela, which is suffering from soaring crime, inflation and imploding economy. His thugs flout Venezuelan law and recently ransacked a Jewish synagogue, and he openly courts Iran. He is the enemy of anyone who loves freedom and democracy.
For Obama to shake his hand is disgrace. This is the first thing that Obama has done that has really upset me.
Here is a link with a picture, which Chavez is now using for propaganda: Obama and Chavez
“He is the enemy of anyone who loves freedom and democracy”… while we’re talking in platitudes, I would also add that he’s the enemy of unicorns and mermaids.
I probably disagree with more of President Obama’s policies than you do, but I don’t think his shaking hands with Chavez is a big deal. If you agree to attend a summit or other diplomatic meeting, it’s implicit that you will be shaking hands with the participants there; it doesn’t mean you endorse their policies. In the lead up to the first Gulf War, Secretary of State James Baker shook hands with his Iraqi interlocutor, Tariq Aziz when they met to discuss the situation. Did anyone assume that Baker agreed with the policies of Saddam Hussein because he shook hands with his deputy?
It doesn’t bother me, either, on that level. On another level, when politicians are comfortably doing the “brah shake” that I can barely pull off anymore, I feel unhip and old.
What was he supposed to do? Spit in his face? Real presidential, that would be. Let’s get real here. Being belligerent to your adversaries all the time is classless and no way to win anyone over.