Dude, does it get any worse? What’s next? holding hands with Ahmadinejad?
U.S. President Barack Obama greets his Venezuela counterpart Hugo Chavez before the opening ceremony of the 5th Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain April 17, 2009. (REUTERS)
Foxnews - President Obama shook hands with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez on Friday at the opening of the Summit of the Americas being held this weekend in Trinidad and Tobago.
It wasn’t immediately clear Friday evening what words were exchanged between the two leaders, but photos released by the Venezuelan government show Obama clasping Chavez’s hand and smiling broadly.
Earlier Friday, Dan Restrepo, the president’s top Western Hemisphere adviser on the National Security Council, had told FOX News Obama might cross paths with Chavez.
“A chance encounter if it occurs,” Restrepo said, in describing such a meeting. “Let’s put the animosities behind us. Let’s not have old arguments.
“Let’s not have tired ideological arguments. Let’s get down to figuring out how we can advance things that are in our national interest. Things that matter to the United States that should matter to Venezuela. Putting the arguments and ideologies of the past aside and working on pragmatic solutions to real problems that face our countries today,” he said.
A couple quotes from around the blogs:
Guess which country bent their values to reach this point?!
These right-wing extremists and their bizarre notion that Obama might be some kind of socialist.
They seem like old pals. Later they sat around a campfire and reminisced about Che Guevara.
I was surprised Obama didn’t bow and kiss his ring.
OMG, that’s a “bro” handshake. Or perhaps a modern “comrade” shake?
Funding FARC, imprisoning dissidents, staging wargames with Russia, and of course consolidating dictatorial power — none of it’s enough to ruin a photo op for The One.
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