Tucker Carlson talking about the hand holding Pres and Prince

[nytemare]

He is actually not letting Bush go on this one saying the "that is the culture" argument is not right.

Wow.

[Bob3]

1. He's such a repressed little twit that it blew fuses in his head.

Made him all squishy and uneasy.

[nytemare]

6. LOL

Squishy!!

[benddem]

2. he's right finally

it is the culture in the middle east and east. NOT in the US. Just like the Twit calling all the Europeans by their first names...someone is telling bush to do stuff he shouldn't. He looks even stupider in the rest of the world. But I said this before bowtie boy did.

[Hatalles]

3. What's wrong with being open to other cultures?

[nytemare]

7. Oh not a thing

That is the argument apologists would use. Carlson was saying that he shouldn't hold the hand of the man in charge of one of the most repressive governments. I think a hand shake would have been acceptable to the prince.

[Kire]

10. Where does "being open" to other cultures stop...

...and exploiting the concept of tolerance to portray an image of, well, I don't what that was an image of. Where does that begin?

[Hatalles]

11. Exploiting the image of tolerance...

Okay, I see your point.

[chookie]

4. I've been wondering about this too

I posted, the day that it happened, that it was kinda interesting George chose to do this. The fact is, for a lot of Bush core supporters, this is a controversial, "foreign" behavior, and George was taking a risk by engaging in it in front of the cameras. (It is not my purpose to debate this.)

I remember Jimmy Carter engaged in cheek kiss greetings, and was ridiculed for it. Ronald Reagan made a very strong point to refuse to engage in this kind of greeting behavior, and was praised for it.

One would think that the most powerful man in the world, El Smirko -- not to mention that he is one of the most arrogant ignorant pricks on the planet -- could choose not to engage in this behavior, and anyone, even his beloved Prince Abdula, and there would have been nothing anyone could have done about -- including Prince Abdula, who would just have to accept it.

None of it quite adds up.

What was the photo of the two of them holding hands in the manner of the most intimate friends supposed to be saying, and for which audience was it intended?

Does George kiss, say, Chirac? If so, that would lend support for the position above that George is just being "open about foreign customs." But if my memory serves correctly, His Chimperial Majesty does not.

[nytemare]

13. I don't think he would kiss Chirac or "Pootie poot"

Shows who has the most power, and who he has to kiss up to the most.

[chookie]

15. I think the intended audience was in Saudi Arabia

It's a custom, showing friendship, in Saudi Arabia, among men. I don't think Bush was showing off how sophisticated he is to Americans, as much as telling Saudis who his best pal there is, a best friend who has the most powerful army in history.

Given that the reigning king there is ailing, this photo-op could have been set up to communicate that George -- and the force of America -- is standing by Abdullah, and that the notoriously fractious family better behave themselves and not touch a hair on his pretty little head.

[pretzel4gore]

5. bush could have been a decent prez....even given his illegitimacy

but the mediawhores eased his way, stopped criticism that might have helped bush from reaching air and in effect acted as bush's (and the country's/world's) worst enemy because of their intractable race hatreds and greedy piggishness (to put it mildly)...in order to achieve this, the mediawhores damaged the very soil by relentlessly substituting falsity for honest truth, which is the way the devil has always worked...tucker carlson should be put to death for treason. period.

[kodi]

8. bowtie is just jealous

.

[Bok_Tukalo]

9. I don't understand why this is controversial.

I understand the satire, and all that, but not the controversy.

[nytemare]

12. I don't understand real controversy

But Bush did seem extremely overly chummy with the guy who is making us pay so much for fuel...it might make even republicans think that the Prince and the pres are in cahoots or something!!

:)

[Huckebein the Raven]

14. Has anyone been over to the heart of darkness to see their take

on the two lovebirds ?