That's what I thought of too!
Posted on 11/19/2012 2:07:02 PM PST by Arthurio
As Barack Obama appeared in the home of Myanmar pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon, the U.S. president planted a platonic, but very affectionate, kiss on her cheek (to which she appeared to slightly recoil in embarrassment). This act has surprisingly elicited little or no comment in the global press thus far – quite unusual since public displays of affection represent a grave breach of custom in virtually all Asian countries.
Obama likely did not mean to offend his Burmese hosts, however, as a well-travelled man of the world, he must have known that a kiss – especially one between a man and a woman who are not married; and one delivered to the most famous woman in Southeast Asia – violates local etiquette.-snip-
With respect to Suu Kyi’s apparent ‘backing away’ from Obama’s kiss, another expert on Burma, Frederic K. Lehman, Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, speculated: “if, indeed, she did back away, possibly it is a personal thing with her and maybe she may have felt it was not to be done in a Burmese context-- she is, after all, a politician and sensitive to how her constituents may feel about her behavior.”
Though the kiss has elicited no diplomatic incidents, Obama did make at least one other blunder during his informal meeting with Suu Kyi.
The Associated Press reported that Obama repeatedly mispronounced her name, though Suu Kyi politely refrained from correcting him.
The president called the Nobel laureate “Aung Yan Suu Kyi,” versus the correct pronunciation: “Ahng Sahn Soo Chee.”
Nile Gardiner, a Washington-based foreign affairs analyst for the Daily Telegraph, commented: “It is rather embarrassing, as well as sad, that the leader of the free world can’t even pronounce the name of the most famous human rights activist on the planet.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ibtimes.com ...
Reggie Love is deeply saddened
Every thing he does is intentional...its an =in your face, i’ll do as I please anyplace I go. Too bad she didn’t have body guards that take on boorish people like him...I’d pay money to see someone from some other country throw his butt out for insulting them...
This is Obama’s M.O., by breaching “tradition” or “protocol” thus setting a new tone. All these social faux pas are done on purpose, symbolizing either weakness (By his bows) of the US or setting a personal tone of authoritarian by this so called “forbidden kiss”.
I wish we had Republicans who have Obama’s bravado, but sadly most of them are a slang for a female body part.
It’s okay, it’s just the Obama Kiss of Death. He gives it to everybody who’s not a fellow dictator. Move along, now.
Complete and utter bonehead.
That's what I thought of too!
She looks kind of boyish. So perhaps you are correct.
On the bright side; his name is S#!t in Burma now.
As some who deeply respects the bravery and self-sacrifice of Suu Kyi to stand up for human rights against one of the most tyrannical regimes in the world, this is one of the most offensive things Obama has done. And that is saying something.
I agree. He follows them up with an episode of supreme smugness. I think it could be a kind of signal to his handlers, some sort of "mission accomplished" thing.
He is going to get away with his dereliction of duty regarding Benghazi because his people have successfully deflected attention to the Petraeus affair. Hillary, shown today with him in Burma, looked like a flabby, grinning goofball. She's getting away with it too.
Ugh, penis breath!
Forget the whole Asia / European custom for a moment. How often, in AMERICA, do you kiss a mature woman you just met?
????????????????WTFO???????????????
That should come with a warning...
I almost tossed my cookies...
I don’t get it, surely there’s someone in the White House who has the job of teaching that moron proper etiquette and protocol.
Whoever that is needs to grab old jug-ears by the handles and slap him around until he starts listening and stops acting like a punk.
These ‘gaffes’ happen every time the O fambly goes overseas.
I know that there is a White House Chief of Protocol and IIRC the State Dept has at least one person serving the same function at every embassy, providing the TOTUS and party with the host country’s rituals and mores such as not to offend even inadvertently.
His most egregious buffoonery occured in the UK.
Are Samuel Jackson and Roseanne Barr giving him protocol pointers?
Oh, and BTW, in the ‘kiss photo’. It looks like O is trying to suck her brains out. Just look at the grimace on his ugly mug. That boy ain’t right.
ROTFL.
I love your way with words!
You’re precisely right!
He looks like the office drunk at the christmas party, grabbing a secretary.
That is incredibly insulting to “The Lady”. Disgusting!!
GAG me but he is BUTT UGLY!
UGH!! YUK !!! PUKE!!!!!
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