our "manly" president grovelling and holding hands with Saudi?????

[montana500]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7625020/

[phantom power]

1. Suggests whole new meanings for "opening the spigot"

[ProgressiveConn]

2. Who are we to judge their homosexual lifestyle?

Two men holding hands? C'mon now George you got a wife at home.

[elehhhhna]

3. "tee-kle my palm and I'll lower the bbl price, infidel dog."

[Jade Fox]

10. Haha!

[MADem]

4. This is not the first time he has done this

See, he hand held and jawboned back in 03...and gas prices went up.

[whistle]

5. I swear, they both are sporting small woodies...

[impeachthescoundrel]

6. God if only

that was the worst thing he had ever done.

[followthemoney]

7. Quit picking on Bush. It takes a brave man to come out.

Fear not the tingle in the weenie.

Fear the jealousy of Gannon/Guckert.

[EVDebs]

8. I remember the days when Saudis said they wanted $25/bbl oil ! LOL !!

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. Notice in the first pic Abdulah is holding W's left wrist

In the second pic W is holding Abdulah's left hand.

In the Arab world men don't really hold hands because that would require one person to hold the other's left hand which is considered the 'shit' hand, the one for wiping your butt. They will hold the left wrist or arm, but not the left hand. Abdulah is laughing his ass off because he knows he's insulting W and W doesn't even know it.

[Jade Fox]

11. Is that true? n/t

[leftofthedial]

12. looks like the saudis will soon be pumping at full throttle

[NYCGirl]

13. It's a Middle Eastern custom:

http://wrc.lingnet.org/mec.htm

Touching. Long handshakes, grasped elbows, even walking hand in hand by two males is common place in the Arab world. A considerable number of Arabs touch more between the same sex, to show liking--not sex. They hold hands, hug each other, kiss if close friends. As Arab society condones the outward display of affection between male friends, one may see Arab men, even officials and military officers, holding hands as they walk together or otherwise converse with one another. If an individual Arab does not touch you, he does not like you--or he may be trying to restrain himself because you are not used to being touched. A full body embrace, accompanied with hugging, should not be initiated until you are sure that the Arab is a close friend. If the Arab initiates it, participate and consider yourself honored and/or accepted. Contact between the opposite sex in public is considered close to obscene.

Distance in talking with one another (body space) may be much closer with Middle East peoples than with Westerners.

Eye contact during discussions--often long and direct--is important. Staring is not necessarily rude (except gazing at women).