Posted on 07/20/2006 9:07:21 PM PDT by notes2005
NEW YORK - An impromptu back rub that President Bush gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now massaging millions of funny bones.
A 5-second video and series of photographs recently posted on YouTube.com and various blogs show Bush surprising Merkel at the G-8 Summit by quickly rubbing the back of her neck and shoulders. The chancellor immediately hunches her shoulders, throws her arms up and grimaces, though she appears to smile as Bush walks away.
The video has been one of the most popular clips on the Web and spawned countless remarks on the particulars of etiquette for world leaders. Coupled with Bush's use of an expletive at the summit and a U.S. senator comparing the Internet to a "series of tubes," the incident reveals anew the power of the Web — and YouTube, specifically — to beam embarrassing political gaffes around the world.
Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, agrees that today, public figures have to be more careful in "a thousand ways." But he maintains sites like YouTube can be revealing.
"If they're not doing something that's embarrassing, they have nothing to worry about," he says. "A president ought to know enough not use an expletive in a fairly open meeting and almost any male alive today knows that you don't offer uninvited massages to any female, much less the chancellor of Germany."
Many writers saw a sexist aspect to Bush's back rub. "This isn't a Sigma Chi kegger, it's the G-8 Summit," wrote blogger Christy Hardin Smith on Firedoglake.com.
(Bush was actually in Delta Kappa Epsilon. Another Web 2.0 truism: Blogs are not always friendly with the facts.)
Earlier this week, Bush was recorded using the s-word while discussing the Mideast with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. An mp3 of Bush's line, posted by The New York Times, has been a popular download — ranking two spots ahead of Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" on The Hype Machine, a Web site that charts the most-linked audio tracks by blogs.
No one need remind former presidential hopeful Howard Dean of the political ramifications of the Web — nor Sen. Ted Stevens (news, bio, voting record) of Alaska.
The 82-year-old Republican, chairman of the Senate Committee on Science, Commerce and Transportation, has been parodied mercilessly by bloggers after referring to the Internet as a "series of tubes" and for mistakenly calling an e-mail "an Internet." A music video for the "DJ Ted Stevens Techno Remix" is currently playing on YouTube.
Like Bush's closed-door G-8 meeting, a speech by Stevens was once unlikely to reach many people. But now sites like YouTube can strike anytime, anywhere.
Even when you're getting a massage.
I've lived in Germany and I think there might be something to your comment. In my experience too Germans tend to be formal and standoffish. Unless they're three hours into a beer tent.
One of my cousins is like that. He somehow knows when someone has a knot in their shoulder & takes it upon himself to do something about it. For a moment, hurts like heck (grimace). Beats the heck outta someone biting their lower lip & telling you they feel your pain.
"This isn't a Sigma Chi kegger, it's the G-8 Summit,"
LOL Can't say I disagree but Bush is a very freindly personable fellow so how about letting go of your uptightness for a few seconds and indulge the man."
I'm a little confused by your post.
Your link doesn't work.
I think this is funny and hey if I were President I'd greet every German woman with a goose and a cigarette.
It's just Bush acting like what he is. A Texan. lol
I saw it and it was exactly as you describe. There was nothing demeaning - it was just a "hey there" kind of thing to someone he was happy to see. But the haters are peaking - he is having far too much success on the world stage lately.
5 seconds? I guess his career as a masseuse is not an option after his term is up.
Washington July 20, 2006
President George W. Bush playfully slaps U.S. Congressman Al Green (D-TX)
Picture at # 36
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1669542/posts?page=36#36
"President George W. Bush playfully slaps U.S. Congressman Al Green (D-TX)"
That is a positive action in this country (with a male), and warmth with either sex works generally, but he may have made Merkel look subservient to her critics.
Fortunately, Bush ain't running for anything ever again, so he doesn't have to worry about this nonsense. Also, he's a big enough man to put up with some ribbing. He often makes jokes at his own expense, which all confident men do. Whatever tweetie bird wrote this can go suck his thumb in the corner.
I think you've got it there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUTwaSPcGno&search=merkel
Got to say, her reaction didn't look good...
Thanks for the link that works.
Looks to me like she was startled and surprised.
But I'd be happy to have him give me a 'back rub' anytime.....LOL
A very close family friend who is a firm democrat, met President Bush and she was completely won over by him. For her to be that impressed, he must be very charming.
So now Bush is a perv? What about Clinton?
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