Think Progress

World leaders refuse to shake Bush’s hand during G20 photo-op.

CNN’s Rick Sanchez highlighted yesterday that during last weekend’s G20 Economic Summit, leaders from around the world refused to acknowledge or shake hands with President Bush as they walked on stage for a photo-op. As Sanchez explained, everyone was “greeting each other and shaking hands, but Bush walks with his head down like the dejected most unpopular kid in high school.” Watch it:

Update CNN later said Sanchez's report was inaccurate and that Bush had already greeted each leader earlier in the day.


56 Responses to “World leaders refuse to shake Bush’s hand during G20 photo-op.”

  1. Uncle Ho says:

    I can’t say that I really blame them. They might catch something.


  2. ElBruce says:

    That’s really sad. Everybody else in that line was shaking hands, and our President is shuffling along with his arms at his sides and his head down, not making eye contact. Sad.

    It also kinda looks prearranged, like either he already told them or they already told him no hand shaking would be allowed.


  3. stewarjt says:

    They know what I’ve known for years: PUTZ!!!


  4. RUCerious says:

    Was there a hearty GO FU(K YOURSELF heard?


  5. Perry logan says:

    More fruits of the Republican Revolution.


  6. Marie says:

    What a total embarrassment – public humiliation – but I see that Bush never made eye contact with anyone – so he was not making any attempt at friendliness either.
    He has proven himself to be an oaf, a boor, a petulant man, a poor leader, with a bullheaded approach to everything, even when he has no idea what he is talking about.
    He has tried to bluster his way through his presidency – something that could never have been done without the help of congress; he appointed smart attorneys with no ethics or moral compass to find loopholes in laws, reinterpret others, and protect the cabal of criminals who make up Bush’s White House.
    The rest of the world is sick of him; frustrated that we didn’t dump him four years ago – now they are eager to walk away from him in hope that January will bring a restoration of America.


  7. Badmoodman says:

    World leaders refuse to shake Bush’s hand during G20 photo-op.»

    – - Maybe Bush didn’t bring his hand sanitizer with him.


  8. RUCerious says:

    So it was more like the G19 + dufus?


  9. SWBob says:

    GWB has never had anything to offer world leaders except for threats. Lacking the ability to threaten anyone, he’s nothing more than a butt in a chair. He has managed to destroy our good will around the world and, accordingly, he has nothing to offer as a “former world leader.” He will simply limp off the world stage and disappear into the history books as the worst President in US history.


  10. Joe Sixpack says:

    …Bush walks with his head down like the dejected most unpopular kid in high school.

    Looks almost like a replay of the Repugnican Convention.


  11. AlphaLiberal says:

    Bush is a mean-spirited SOB. This is one sliver of comeuppance for a belligerent, law-breaking, immoral bully.

    The way he shuffles along, looking down at the floor is a disgrace to the country. Jan 20 can’t come fast enough.


  12. citizen_pain says:

    Serves the assh0le right. I for one have no pity or sympathy for the man.
    Let’s just hope this was a hard lesson learned.
    No more silver spoon alcoholic frat boys for president.


  13. bluestatedon says:

    He’s lucky nobody kicked him the nuts.


  14. shoeless says:

    Wow! Bush didn’t even kiss and hold hands with the Saudi? Maybe the Saudi minister asked Bush to wait until they were alone for that.


  15. moondancer says:

    If it hasn’t sunk in to chimps pickled brain by now….


  16. unbelievable says:

    Justice!

    Bush only ever cared about being popular, and the fact that he is so unpopular is the worst consequences he could imagine (though I’d like to try for convicted felon).

    Worst President ever.


  17. 5th Estate says:

    Well not everybody was shaking hands with each other, but everybody got at least three handshakes.
    It’s interesting that Bush didn’t even attempt to initiate a handshake by extending his hand first after having been clearly ignored several times.
    He could have tried it with Merkel–at least he’s met her a couple of times ( apparently he didn’t know even know there was a G20 so presumably there were 12 people he’d never met. )

    I love how he’s just forced to bump along in the line. Where’s that stupid body language expert FOX loves to trot out, when you really need her?


  18. livelongandprosper says:

    Actually, I believe this story to be BS. On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart showed Bush already had greeted each leader separately upon their entering the White House (or where ever they met).

    If fact, it was quite funny because it appeared that Bush had to be inside before each greeting. Two guys would open the door, Bush would come out and greet the leader, shake his hand and go inside. This was repeated for each foreign leader and played back to back to back looked hilarious has Bush would have to go back inside and then reappear each time.

    Of course, I don’t think all the leaders were waiting outside for their turn and then this charade was conducted. I think there is a time lapse where Bush would be inside for a bit with each leader and then come out again. The appearance was very funny though.

    So was everyone snubbing Bush or had they already greeted him and shaken his hand but not the other leaders? The same goes for meeting the Queen of England. The first greeting is done with appropriate handshake and then no other such greeting is done until the goodbye handshake.

    Come on TP, Bush is as dud but this is over the top. You could admonish CNN for this oversight but instead you are appearing reactionary and too much like those right wing sites.


  19. hellinabucket says:

    It looks like he’s remembered his advice of 8 years ago. And now he’s being humbled because he didn’t follow it.

    …I think the United States must be humble and must be proud and confident of our values, but humble in how we treat nations that are figuring out how to chart their own course.

    Bush October 11th, 2000


  20. spearNmagicHelmet says:

    bush is a national disgrace. now and forever.


  21. radhika says:

    It might be pre-arranged, hand-sanitizery, paranoid. A-feared of catching their polonium palms. Remember he took his own toilet to Russia. It’s hard to imagine 19 world leaders agreeing to do this on camera without pre-planning. I also think Bush is ‘numbed’. Maybe chemically.


  22. shoeless says:

    livelongandprosper Says:
    ——————————————————————————–
    The same goes for meeting the Queen of England.

    I don’t think she would want to shake his hand either.

    http://www.eclectictimes.com/mt-images/misc/bush_queen.jpg


  23. Game of Life says:

    HAHAHAHAHA

    The leaders didn’t acknowledge his presence. It appears to be the leaders chose to ignore his criminal ass and not the other way around.

    Beautiful!

    Let’s see chimpy rewrite this.


  24. The Republic of Stupidity says:

    “… but Bush walks with his head down like the dejected most unpopular kid in high school…”
    _____________

    Well, Shi’ite, he’s lucky they didn’t give him an atomic wedgie…


  25. unbelievable says:

    There’s a difference between having to shake his hand in some pre-staged photo-op, and people intentionally speaking with him on their own accord.

    The fact is that after the pre-scripted stuff was over, no one wanted to speak with him by choice. After he’s been ‘one of them’ for the past 8 years, that really says a lot about how disliked he is.


  26. Chuck Feney says:

    World leaders know the axiom, “Never shake hands with a war criminal.”


  27. Lungman424 says:

    bluestatedon Says:
    ——————————————————————————–

    He’s lucky nobody kicked him the nuts.

    November 20th, 2008 at 10:45 am Recommend (3) | Report Abuse

    LOLOLOL Thanks!!!


  28. Buckie Boy says:

    Yeah, I noticed this when it was on the news and I got a laugh out of it…but then again, he has really harmed the worlds view of OUR COUNTRY….

    …and again, why is he not in jail?


  29. livelongandprosper says:

    #
    shoeless Says:

    livelongandprosper Says:
    ——————————————————————————–
    The same goes for meeting the Queen of England.

    I don’t think she would want to shake his hand either.

    I think the Queen of England is looking forward to never having to meet Bush ever again. There is class and then there is no class. It takes the blindness of neocon thinking not to see who is the class of that pair.


  30. stateofthedivision says:

    American practices, greed and leverage, caused the multitude of financial crises, the reason for the G-20 meeting. During his eight years in office, Bush rolled out the red carpet for distorting systems.

    In the meeting he resisted any major change. Right before the session, he delivered a free market/free trade sermon. The global economic meltdown has clear American roots. Bush couldn’t be more out of sync.


  31. tom says:

    He’s lucky nobody kicked him the nuts.

    It wouldn’t be worth the effort. They all know that he always wears a cod piece to make up for the fact that he doesn’t have nuts in the first place.

    I don’t blame them for not shaking hands with or talking to him. After all, he presided over the U.S. government at a time when derivatives, default credit swaps and other forms of toxic assets were developed by a bunch of greedy bastids and injected into the world economy. GDumbya is radioactive and contagious. I wouldn’t shake hands with him, either.


  32. Cappy says:

    What do you expect. He didn’t have his tube of hand sanitizer.


  33. tokin librul says:

    He may be a pathetic bag of shit, but he ain’t finished phuquing with us yet.

    for instance, he’s trying to undo the EPA and grant special privileges to his corpoRat pals to phuque up the coastal rain-forests in Oregon.


  34. kelso says:

    I almost feel sorta bad for him…almost.

    When Junior is attending the conference it should be called the “G19.5 Economic Summit”.


  35. 49erDem says:

    The fricking Queen of England??!! She afforded Bush respect she never gave to Clinton. Bush is a distant relative of hers. Clinton never got the treatment she gave to Bush before he became the official worst of all time.


  36. tokin librul says:

    Before it started, there were reports he didn’t know there even was a “G-20.”

    So if it ignored him the justice would at least rhyme…


  37. moondancer says:

    Getting as he gave. Remember he went out of his way to dis the Australian PM at this event. Seems he didn’t like his criticism of his environmental and economic policies.


  38. Rob says:

    A lovely follow up to Bush asking “What is the G20?”


  39. Gregor Samsa says:

    Funny. Even Angela Merkel made herself scarce when it came the time to shake his hand.

    And I thought those two were on back-rubbing terms….


  40. COProgressive says:

    This humiliation will be short lived because the shrub lives in his own fantasy world where everyone loves him.

    But we as a nation have failed to give the shrub the true humiliation he deserves, impeachment.

    As, most likely, the worst president in America’s history, with all he’s done to the Constitution and the Bill of rights, taking us to war for oil, torture, spying, cronism, lies, war profiteering, fearmongering, etc, he deserved to be impeached.

    The shrub need the lasting legacy of going through history with a BIG RED TOE TAG that screams “IMPEACHED!”

    “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” - George W. Bush, August 5, 2004 – Fearmonger


  41. ctcadguy says:

    Why are we letting that war criminal free?

    911=Inside job


  42. mongo says:

    How dare they??! Don’t they realize that our man bush has single-handedly secured the blessings of liberty for all iraqis and afghanis?

    First: he needs to give a hearty Cheney Yourself at the UN;
    Then: Invade and depose all their ungrateful a**es! It’s worked in afghanistan and iraq so far, we’re on a roll!

    USA! USA! USA!

    /snark


  43. SP Biloxi says:

    That video was priceless. And Bush deserved to be snubbed by the G-20 summit leaders and treated like he had cooties. I certainly wouldn’t not shake that germ President’s hand.


  44. DaTruth says:

    He’s always looking down. Guess he can’t make eye contact with other world leaders anymore. It is almost unbelievable how we let this mole rule and ruin everything these last 8 years! Two long terms of nonstop failure followed by more failure. The cancerous tumor that took over America and the World – George W Bush!


  45. sacopenapa says:

    He is not the mos ‘umpopular kid in high school’! HE IS A WAR CRIMINAL! People have morals and principals, and people despise atrocities of War and who ever is responsible for them. Bush is a WAR CRIMINAL! Would you shake hands with Musolini? Hitler?


  46. sacopenapa says:

    46#
    Don’t forget Dicj Chenney! I want to see that War Criminal hanging!


  47. sacopenapa says:

    missplelled … ‘most umpopular’ and Dick…


  48. krdaddy says:

    He almost looks like he’s wondering why he’s there with all
    these foreign people he doesn’t know and couldn’t possibly
    be of any use to him. A dim bulb growing dimmer.


  49. Linus says:

    Livelongandprosper (#19) has a point. When I first saw the footage of this photo event, I thought it odd that Bush did not exchange handshakes/greetings with the others. But my impression was not that the others were snubbing Bush, rather Bush was looking petulant (”Oh, do I really, really have to do this?”) and impatient (”Can’t we just get this over with?”) and, perhaps, snubbing them. It could well have been as livelongandprosper notes — Bush had already “officially” greeted each of the others, so no further glad-handing required — certainly not from someone who’s as socially retarded as Bush seems to be. It’s not as if Bush made an effort to shake someone’s hand and they turned away. In fact, he seems to be ignoring them all, hurrying to get this photo thingie done so he can go do whatever it is a lame duck does.


  50. shaker o salt says:

    Looks like the other way around to me. Bush is being the petulant child again. Yeesh.


  51. octamethyl says:

    is stupidity contagious?


  52. Marie says:

    You may make excuses for Bush and say that he already “greeted” these persons previously, but that argument really doesn’t do.
    Even if he had previously met them, and even spent 15 minutes backstage talking with the individuals — when you go on stage, in public, you acknowledge the others. Bush never even looked at them and they looked away from him.


  53. Jackie says:

    Look for more to come when he leaves office. As many will start speaking out about the drug/drunk/idiot President Bush.


  54. EugeneDebs says:

    5th Estate Says:

    Well not everybody was shaking hands with each other, but everybody got at least three handshakes.
    It’s interesting that Bush didn’t even attempt to initiate a handshake by extending his hand first after having been clearly ignored several times.
    He could have tried it with Merkel–at least he’s met her a couple of times ( apparently he didn’t know even know there was a G20 so presumably there were 12 people he’d never met. )

    I love how he’s just forced to bump along in the line. Where’s that stupid body language expert FOX loves to trot out, when you really need her?
    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    Are you KIDDING? No way. After his cheap unsolicited back rub fiasco with Merkel if he had put his hand out toward HER she would have slapped him and rightfully so.


  55. emanon says:

    Dana Perino said, “Oh, he shook hands the first day of the meeting.” Looks as if his peers treat him as a pariah.


  56. Et2Brute says:

    Geez, I didn’t realize that Americans eat their own wounded countrymen. Your “pile-on” attitude is childish. You are all very quick to pounce on Bush’s actions even though none of you knows just what exactly happened or caused him to act that way, but I guess that’s been a common problem of yours these past few years.

    Most of you don’t even realize that, while walking up onto the stage, the folks who are walking keeping looking down in between handshakes. They’re all looking for their mark, the little label on the floor that tells them where to stand for the photos.

    As for not shaking hands, the other possibility already mentioned – he had previously greeted everyone – is much more plausible than your petty assumptions/wishes.

    I can understand Americans wanting change, but I can’t fathom throwing tomatoes at Bush as he’s “leaving the stage.” After all, it took the actions of everyone in Washington (Democrats and Republicans) over the past dozen years to create the mess your in now, not just Bush. I guess it’s hard to see that from the inside looking out.

    I guess I’m on the wrong website; despite it’s interesting name, this site must where all the American “sheeple” come to baaaabaaaah at each other. Where do the sagacious Americans go to discuss such things?



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