Gloved Bushs offend against etiquette

[neweurope]

Charme offensive in full swing *grin*

Bush's tactlessness made for frowns in Slowakia....after landing in Bratislava the mass murderer (my words, the rest is translated the best I can) shook hands with president Ivan Gasparovic and minister president Mikulas Dzurinda – still with his black gloves on. That is considered to be a clear offense against etiquette. Such a blunder has not happened before in Slowakia, it was said. :dunce:

Even the wives of both president and minister president were only offered Bush's gloved hand. And First Lady Laura Bush didn’t take off her gloves at the greeting either. “I don’t know whether that’s normal in the USA” said conduct-specialist (can’t think of a better word) Deana Lutherova the Czek news agency CTK. “Here it isn’t normal anyway. Evidently the Bushs hadn’t been informed about European customs.”

It's a very clear INSULT. And I'm sure it was meant as one, like Bush's stating before the European parliament that "Thomas Jefferson was considered to be greater than Voltaire, Newton, Frederic and Leibniz". We are the great American masters and all of you are just little shits and we're FUCKING you. I'm sure in Germany which is considered to be more important than Slowakia Bush pulled off his gloves (or it would have been mentioned in our press).

Keep up the good work *g*

German link:
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,343433,00.html

[NewJeffCT]

1. you were expecting class?

maybe some charm, too?

[bluestateguy]

2. The White House is supposed to have a chief of protocal

either that person did not do their job, or Bush chose to ignore their briefing.

[tanyev]

9. Bushco has shown over and over again

that they value loyalty over competence. Maybe the current Chief of Protocol is just as qualified for that job as Jeff Gannon was for his.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. A person of George and Laura Bush's age should know better.

Etiquette has been on the skids for years but I'm a bit younger than they are and women still wore gloves and hats when I was a young woman. If I wore them for years, so did Laura.

Edit: And shouldn't they have gotten a clue when others removed the glove from their glove-shaking hands? :eyes:

[Rush1184]

4. dupelicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3169175

[Kolesar]

5. I hear he picks his nose in public too

[leftchick]

6. Photo....and I see Laura is wearing a lovely tablecloth....

Money can not buy taste or class....

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,440265,00.jpg

[Bronco69]

7. Who the hell did her hair? YUCK! n/t

[leftchick]

8. she must use **'s barber...

that is the only excuse I can think of for that look.

[Ilsa]

21. And she continues to wear that dark maroon lipstick

on her thin lips, making them look even thinner. I really wish someone would talk to her about it. It doesn't look good on her, IMO.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

29. Shoei?

[glenhein]

10. where's your evidence?

How do you logically jump from an etiquette gaffe to an intentional act? There are plenty of real policy issues to discuss. Every argument put forth by Democrats that is not based on 100% logic
and reasoning detracts from the greater objective and simply proves to the American people that Democrats are not capable to lead.

Instead of nit-picking, lets talk about real issues. Lets talk
about the eminent domain case in the Supreme Court over New London. Lets talk about governement operating efficiency and waste. Lets talk about taxation. Lets talk about ending the drug war. Lets talk about how the major players in both parties are more interested in buying votes with federal dollars. Lets talk about how politicians define "compromise" as "you get your boon-doggle program and I get my boon-doggle program".

[leesa]

11. Right.

[trumad]

12. Let's talk about how trolls enter DU diss to Democrats,

Let's talk about how this twit president at every turn embarrasses this great country of ours. Let's talk about George W, Bush and how his eminent domain scandal in Texas ripped off a land owner.

[glenhein]

14. eminent domain

I would very interested in hearing about Bush abusing eminent domain.

I couldn't care less about how he embarasses anybody. I'm interested in facts and policy. Thats how you win battles.

[Bridget Burke]

18. There are numerous threads at DU on more "serious" topics.

Why waste your time on this one?

[neweurope]

30. I waste my time as I see fit :) - and wanted to tell you how the Europeans

see your president and what they think of him. If you think this is irrelevant you don't have to read.

----------------------

Remember Fallujah

Bush to the Hague!

[trumad]

19. No... you win battles with dirty politics, corrupt

Secratary of the States and voting machines run by repukes.

BTW: Google Bush and eminent domain and you'll get your answer.

[Straight Shooter]

32. I definitely do care how bush presents himself outside of the U.S.

When people look at him, when they watch him, they're not just watching him, they are watching a symbol of America.

I, for one, do not want to be represented by an idiotic, grinning, non compos mentis, social misfit.

That's why we discuss this. Because george bush drives us up the wall, everything he says, everything he does, everywhere he goes.

[Mad_Dem_X]

15. Welcome to DU - enjoy your stay.

:7

[JNelson6563]

16. It's a reasonable guess

The slight was likely intentional since Bush&Co haven't hestitated to give the whole world the finger again and again. They seem to get a sophmoric type of thrill out of it.

As to discussing the "issues", there is actually a lot of talk about them. Look around, find them and join them. You offer suggestions that would lead to good threads. Get a few more posts contributing to existing discussions and you will be able to kick off weightier topics with your own threads.

Julie

[Lerkfish]

23. thanks. I needed a laugh this morning.

surely you made a wrong turn in cyberspace.
please check your directions again.

But, to continue your thought: why not discuss more important things? funny, you never mention important issues like using falshood to start an unjust preemptive invasion of a soveriegn country, the torture and murder of ghost detainees, the security threats of allowing the Saudis more inside information on our policies than our congress, a non-journalist being planted to softball questions to Bush. The practice of loyalty oaths before town hall meetings, etc., etc.

I'd say your choice of "important topics" does not coincide with mine.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

26. Because...you said it yourself, we all need a laugh in the morning

All of these posts insisting that this is not important are wrong. The politicians and statesmen can blah blah blah all day long about this administrations huge blunders and yet we can't seem to touch the Chimp because Karl Rove puts a fresh coat of teflon on him every day. But it is these little human stories that reveal the nakedness of the emperor, and cause the cracks that will finally bring him down.

[Lerkfish]

38. perhaps you don't realize I was responding to a specific post

and not the originating post.

[glenhein]

43. topics

I didn't mean to imply with my previous post that topics listed where the only ones important to me. I just listed some of the topics most recently on my mind. All of the issues you listed are certainly worthy of serious discussion. However, going back to my original poinst, I'd like to engage in discourse without name calling or back-handed comments.

[thereismore]

36. * only kisses up to countries that don't kiss up to

America. He is like a subserviant dog to Schroder and Putin, but he pisses at Dzurinda. Why? He is a * supporter. Slovakia (still) has troops in Iraq. * thinks he can treat Slovaks like dirt.

[lavenderdiva]

41. Welcome to DU! n/t

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

13. they should be glad they didn't have to touch that creep!

[Plaid Adder]

17. Probably he didn't want his hands to get cold.

You know. They told him about the etiquette thing, and he was like, fuck that, it's cold out here. Same reason Cheney decided to wear a ski parka to an Auschwitz commemoration. What do you mean I have to respect people? It's frickin' cold!

Argh,

The Plaid Adder

[trumad]

20. It's certainly intentional

and the Cheney thing is a perfect example. It's the faux cowboy mentality of these dangerous Neo-Cons.

[dryan]

22. Manners and etiquette are....

important especially on this level because the President and First Lady (no matter who they are) represent the entire US when they go on these visits. Where is the Office of Protocal?

[Karenina]

42. Locked up

in Guantanamo. :crazy:

[Ilsa]

24. What is the etiquette rule? If you are wearing the gloves for

warmth, you remove them; if a lady is wearing the gloves because it is part of an ensemble, she doesn't have to? I can't remember, but I keep thinking women can leave their white gloves and evening gloves on, but gloves for warmth are always removed. But it is obvious that Pickles was wearing them for warmth.

[bleedingheart]

25. I think it depends upon the gloves and the event the woman is

attending...white gloves at a ball ...those are not removed....

[ohio_liberal]

27. Evening gloves are acceptable for women

Men and women should remove gloves (worn as outerwear) before shaking hands. I would never consider shaking hands with someone without removing gloves. Maybe Dubya didn't want them to notice his sweaty paws?

[tnlefty]

31. More like * not having to touch someone beneath him

Couldn't have them soiling their hands by actually touching someone who is beneath them ya know.

[susu369]

33. Or, maybe Dubya didn't want them to notice his bloody paws?

[mwb970]

28. Must have been the same handler who dressed Cheney for Aushwitz. (n/t)

[Igel]

34. It took a while, but I finally found a Slovak newspaper that

mentioned it:
http://spravy.pravda.sk/sk_domace.asp?r=sk_domace&c=A050224_095937_sk_domace_p03

It would be Pravda. The brief article concludes: '"Neviem, èi je to normálne v USA, ale urèite to nie je obvyklé v našich krajinách. Asi neboli informovaní o zvykoch štátov strednej Európy a možno to v USA tak striktne nevnímajú, " vyjadrila slovenská odborníèka na diplomatický protokol Deana Lutherová.' (I can only wonder how the letters with diacritics will be handled the by the DU server.)

Which is to say, 'I don't know if it's ok in the US, but it's certainly not usual in our parts. Maybe they weren't informed of the customs in central European countries and it may be that they don't observe it so strictly in the USA", said Deana Lutherová, the Slovak specialist for diplomatic protocol.'

It was the fourth newspaper I looked at. And it was far from the lead story.
One had headlines (in English): We're on the map!
Another was ecstatic about abolishing the visa requirement for Slovaks visiting the US.
A third discussed security measures and the distance from the crowd for the first visit by an American president. Only 50 people or so showed up to protest.

[LynnTheDem]

35. Whew so that's ok then. The world doesn't think bush is a low-class moran

And only 50 people hate bush.

:eyes:

[Igel]

37. I think I know where all the ceremonial business went on,

the main Hrad ("castle") in Bratislava.

If the number of security folk were as high as reported, I really have trouble seeing how 50 protesters could possibly fit in there.

[raysr]

39. The Klampets

in Sloblowvia.

[pauliedangerously]

40. It's flat out rude...

I ALWAYS remove my gloves to shake hands; it's automatic...I don't care if it's in sub-zero weather--I'm a Minnesotan.

Conduct-specialist??? Jesus Christ, if you need one of those you shouldn't be representing the USA. Go back to Crawferd (sic) and stay on your artificial ranch where you can't insult any TEXANS either.

Again, I have to consider that this may have been done deliberately. Maybe there are a lot of rich people in this country who have a lot invested in Euros.

[dryan]

45. Etiquette....

is to make the other person feel comfortable. The Office of Protocal is supposed to help the President and First Lady come across well to the country they are visiting.

[Igel]

44. Some Slovaks are pissed off at USA Today.

Apparently they outlined the tour of Europe in a map, showing city/country/day.

They indicated Bratislava and Slovakia.

But they put Bratislava where Lubljana is, and labelled Slovenia "Slovakia".

Oops.

[Zenlitened]

46. Bush's behavior would be considered rude where I come from, too.

But then, I'm a Northeast "elitist" so what do I know?

:eyes: