I’m sure the update will follow soon.

I hope the blogosphere takes this opportunity to remind itself of the virtue of skepticism. I doubt it.

I knew my response would be looked upon as “nonsense” by some. In my defense I noted that it was just one possibility, and I’m not saying that those who think otherwise are wrong, just that we can’t be sure.

If you were hosting a party at your house, and greeted everyone as they entered. As people are mingling later, they might greet each other if they hadn’t seen each other before that night. But you wouldn’t go up to people who had already greeted and greet them again. Not that you would consciously avoid them. It’s just a social thing. It’s not a matter of “using up” your greetings.

Now, I know the comparison isn’t completely valid. A world summit certainly isn’t a house party. And Bush should have realized it would look bad if he didn’t shake hands. But I stand by my statement that 10 seconds of video is not enough context to know what was going on the minds of the poeple on the stage. If you showed me multiple pieces of videos with multiple groups of people going out of their way to avoid him, that would be different.

I just have a feeling if you asked any world leaders about this, they would probably have no idea what you were talking about. I think they have more important things to think about then plotting not to shake Bush’s hand.

Anyway, I’m sure some still think I’m just in the tank for Bush, so I’ll move on.

Again watch the video closely. The greetings were almost universally initiated by the entering party. The entering party looked up and reached out. Bush was staring at his feet. If I wanted to read something into it, it would be that Bush didn’t really want to be there and was maybe being a bit glum. He did look up at Gordon Brown but did not reach out. I doubt Brown (or any of them) would have left him hanging if he had made the first move as others before and after him did.

Instead, these leaders (most of whom Europeans) acted like spoiled brats, coming from rich families, who were educated at the best private schools and then got a degree from the best universities in the world (which describes most of them quite well incidentally), who do not want to ‘mingle with common folk’ like Bush.

Really? Bush is part of the ‘common folk’? He didn’t go to the pest private schools and did not graduate from one of the best universities in the world? Just because he wears the hat doesn’t mean that’s who he is. They know that and so should you.

Notice also that the greetings almost all seem to be initiated by the people walking in. They look up to the person standing on stage and offer their hand first. Bush looked at his feet except on two occasions and did not offer his hand to anyone. I think people are reading their own prejudices into the video.

Footnote: Sanchez mentions the huge number of Google hits to the words “Bush bully.” A quick link search of “Bush bully” finds there are 330 on Google News and approximately 6,040,000 on Google Web. And Sanchez may indeed have a point: remember how bullies who were beat up were treated afterwords by students who used to be afraid of them?

The only context you need is the other leaders going through the line. All politicians know they’re being filmed. Why only shake hands once, just because a little while ago you already did it? That’s preposterous.

These leaders shmooze all the time, relentlessly, that’s what glad handing means. To say Bush used up his handshake quota for the day is just laughable.

I suppose by your reasoning all the others in the receiving line hadn’t already shook hands that day/week/occassion? Give me a BREAK!

For no other reason than they all know this is a historic occassion, all these leaders on such an important topic – they should give Bush the respect his office deserves.

Think about it – Bush is a ‘bully’ so they won’t shake his hand? Wtf? What country doesn’t throw its weight around? Are those who support this snub actually trying to portray Bush as the only leader with sharp elbows, that the rest of the richest countries in the world, the G20, humble little fellows that are scared of the prez?

They’re ALL arrogant, elitists. They’re the most powerful people in the world, how did they get to their station, by begging?

No, they should’ve shook Bush’s hand, period. What they did was a disgrace, for all the aristocratic bullshit about civilitas and nobility, they were petulant children, and Bush was the greater of them.

That’s why Americans despise aristocracy – because they aren’t an elite. They just have money and some title. But the content of their character is there in the video for all to see. True nobility is manifested in character and behavior, not tacked-on, ascribed categories. No class, at all.

And I HATE Bush!