President Bush’s Shoulder Squeeze Rubs People the Wrong Way

By Linda Orlando

The latest "mountain out of a molehill" story about President Bush has become the talk of the Internet, and bloggers everywhere are having a field day. Hundreds of websites and media outlets are posting a video, barely five seconds long, showing Bush at the G8 summit in Russia. As he walks around a table where German chancellor Angela Merkel is sitting, she appears to say something quickly over her shoulder toward him, and then he steps aside toward her, grabs her shoulders and squeezes, then he continues walking past. Merkel’s reaction to his squeeze is to hunch her shoulders, lift her hands, and grimace for a moment, and then she turns and smiles as he walks away. The whole incident lasts less than five seconds.

Naturally, comedians and late-night talk show hosts are having a field day, and bloggers are welcoming the opportunity to have something else to criticize the president for. Sixteen people have posted the exact same video on YouTube.com, and dozens of other websites are displaying it and triumphantly squawking about how inappropriate the incident was, especially for the president. Descriptions of Bush’s actions run the gamut, from calling it a "massage" or an "uninvited backrub" to saying it amounts to no less than "sexual harassment" and "groping." One blogger even went so far as to make the ludicrous statement, "This is why Iraq and the Middle East are in flames, and we have no credibility around the world." (Finally, an explanation for the Middle East conflict.)

Among the throngs of Bush critics are a handful of sane people who think there are more important things to be concerned about. Michael McCullough, author of Stingray: A blog for salty Christians, is one person who thinks the public outrage is ridiculous. "Bill Clinton raped at least 2 women, exposed himself to another, used a White House intern for sex, and you guys are worried about President Bush putting his hands on Merkel's shoulders?" McCullough adds, "Bush is a Texan. Texans hug one another, kiss one another, place their hands on other's shoulders, and give hand squeezes all the time. You libs are always talking about understanding the culture of others and it's time for you to start understanding Texas culture. We're not cold and frigid like you Yankees are. Sheesh, you need to get a life."

One commentor who calls himself Craig hit the nail even more on the head, saying that all the fuss is simply "partisan overreaction over an informal gesture of greeting prior to the start of a meeting. If he had done a similar action to a male, he would have been ignored by all." The post goes on to say, "Do you even know what kind of level of comfort these two people have with each other as people? I understand that they actually have a personable, friendly relationship with each other. Photos can also be used to give a false impression that you would not see, if you looked at it on video tape."

In fact, Bush and Merkel do have a quite comfortable and solid friendship, according to Merkel herself. At a press conference in May where Bush and Merkel spoke to reporters, Merkel’s introduction spoke pointedly about her relationship with the president. "We have been able to strike up what is a very, very good rapport, very good relationship, and is a friendship. And we bolster that friendship mostly by telephone calls; we've been in constant contact."

Since the video clips plastered all over the Internet have no audio associated with them, it is impossible to know what Merkel said before Bush grasped her shoulders, so none of the critics have any idea whether his grasp was a reaction to a humorous comment. Yet Bush-bashers are having a field day out of a non-event. As one blog poster observed, "If this is the kind of half-assed conjecture that people would rather make an issue out of, instead of the actual events of the world that matter, then we as people deserve what we get."