During a "Curious Encounter" Bush Punches Congressman, Pinches Cheek

[Rose Siding]

snip>
But while the collapse of that deal has proved to be one of the biggest embarrassments of Mr. Bush's presidency, there is a growing sense in Washington that Mr. King, the new chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, helped steer his Republican colleagues toward safer political waters on an issue that could have haunted them in the fall elections.
....
Any tension between the men appeared to have broken during a curious encounter Mr. King had at the White House, where he happened to be attending a bill-signing ceremony on Thursday, just as word spread that the port deal had collapsed.

Mr. Bush, after entering the room, went over to Mr. King, pinched his cheek (after faking a punch) and declared, "Good work," before walking away.......

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/11/nyregion/11king.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

There's a guy who's personal state of alert should be, as they say, heightened.

[Erika]

1. Where are the women?

Oh, they don't get photo-ops unless they are black and GOP.

[FatDave]

2. Female, black and GOP?

So just Condoleeza then?

[annagull]

3. Men in dark suits---and we are the party to be afraid of?

when men in dark suits get together, be VERY afraid.

[Octafish]

5. Those aren't men.

Real men -- and real women -- give a damn about their fellow human beings.

Those photographed with the giggling murderer are sociopaths, psychopaths and satanists.

[Richard Steele]

4. After looking carefully at ALL expressions and postures, I see THIS:

Go ahead- dare to tell me I'm wrong.

[keopeli]

6. This dialog fits the story that the deal is a facade.

UAE will keep the profits and ultimate control of their property.

The real question is - who will own the ports.

The answer is Dubai.

King helped come up with this 'facade' solution of declaring a manager (Halibut ron) to be a US company.

Aloha, Rose Siding!

Keo

[havocmom]

7. a-yup

just another dog and pony show for political market shares

[Hekate]

8. Damn frat boy -- a perpetual adolescent

"See, I hit ya! Faked you out! Just kidding!"
I bet when he goes to the gym he likes to snap wet towels on the other guys' butts.

Hekate

[TahitiNut]

9. Nobody has a right to touch another without permission. Nobody.

I'm a big fan of hugs. Big fan. Male or female. (Hugs are not sexual, in my book - not at all.) I'm not, in any way, phobic about mutual and respectful human contact. It's terrific.

That said, I'd NEVER touch another person without clear and mutual agreement. NEVER. On top of this, I would NEVER presume that 'permission' was given freely in any situation where I could be regarded as 'senior' or an authority figure - whether that be manager or generational. It is appalling to me that he is so blithely senseless in his position that he violates others. That's exactly what it is: a violation of another person.

I've had and have friends with small children. They often tell the kids to "go and give Mike a hug goodbye." I ALWAYS do my best to avoid this without hurting anyone's feelings. There've been uncountable times that I've taken it upon myself to mention to the child that they should never hug me, or anyone, when they don't want to. They have an inalienable right to their bodies. I've always chatted about this with the parents - striving assiduously to let them know that children should NOT be accustomed, through such 'training,' to believe they must accommodate such contact. It can be a very touchy subject - pun acknowledged.

I find it very disturbing that little girls are given this 'training' far, far more often than little boys. I worry about the repercussions on both sides - girls that aren't trained to have a complete right to their own persons and boys that aren't trained to appreciate genuine human contact.

On the complete flip side, I remember moving back to Silicon Valley after five years in eastern Washington. In visiting good friends (who were of the same mind as I regarding coerced hugs) at their home with whom I'd had mostly only phone and letter contact, the granddaughter (11 years old) RAN up to me with a big smile and laid a GREAT BIG HUG around my neck and kissed me on the cheek, telling me she was happy I was back in town. It's one of many happy memories I'll take to my grave. (I've been blessed with some really aweome friends.)

Thinking about this, I can very easily add another check-mark to why Junior's children offer their bodies so (apparently) freely. With him as a father and so f*cking clueless to these things, it's less of a wonder.

</rant>

Parents -- PLEASE don't coerce your kids to give hugs they don't feel genuinely.

[DUgosh]

10. I wish you had been

my parent :dilemma:

[Sadie5]

11. Whats with the sneer

on the dummy's mouth. Is it photo shopped?

[Rose Siding]

14. Nope

The goofy's all natural

[TahitiNut]

15. Thank you.

Unless I'm missing something, that's a VERY high compliment - one that humbles me. I feel very strongly that we both need to have inviolable autonomy over our bodies and, having that, learn to enjoy the genuine mutual embraces of one another.

Junior adopts the perverted posture of a medieval overlord - assuming unto himself the entitlement to intrude upon the very persons of others. It's obscene.

[keopeli]

13. Excellent post! Thanks for the info. n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Did someone give him a breathalyzer? n/t