Daily Kos

Did Other Presidents Hold Hands with Saudi Princes?

by CheeseMoose

Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 03:53:23 PM PDT

I don't recall any photos of Bill Clinton holding hands with Saudi princes. I googled it and nothing came up. Did Bush's dad do public hand holding? Reagan? These kinds of images seem to have started with Bush.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0426/csmimg/04-26_DU.jpg

images.bigghurtt.com/ bush_saudi.jpg

These photo ops are never accidental in their staging. Can you imagine the howls from the right if Clinton was seen holding the hand of a Saudi Prince? Why is Bush advertising his fealty to this foreign prince? Surely it can not be playing well with the American public. Who's ass is being kissed here? I find it very strange that Bush would put this image out voluntarily. Is he bragging about how big buddies he is with such a powerful poobah? Is he promising that, because he's such good friends with these guys that he's got some influnce? Is he sending a message to other Arabs about how tight he is with the Saudi monarchy? Am I wrong that this picture does not play well to the American audience? Please enlighten me.
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Permalink | 39 comments

  •  what a great president. gas prices at an all time (none / 1)

    high and his response? hold hands with a repressive foreign dictator and beg him for more gas.  the disctator promptly refuses and bush keeps kissing his ass anyway.

    what he should say is take a hike dictator, we are going to drive cars that dont need alot of oil. the technology is there. but bush has no plan to do that other than to hold hands with our enemy.

    by balletshooz on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 03:50:19 PM PDT

  •  No hands, but (none / 0)

    They did play footsie under the table.

    "I just had the basic view of the American public -- it can't be that bad out there." Marine Travis Williams after 11 members of his squad were killed.

    by Steven D on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 03:50:39 PM PDT

  •  Seriously... (none / 0)

    I want to know what the strategy behind these photos is. I don't get it. Rove is an asshole but he's not stupid. Anybody got a theory?

    Interestingness.org "Politics is the entertainment arm of Industry." - Zappa

    by CheeseMoose on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 03:54:34 PM PDT

  •  Don't make a big deal (none / 0)

    Holding hands is a standard part of Saudi culture.  There is nothing wierd about it, or subservient.  They are good friends and this is an expression of that.  No need to make a fuss about it.

    ---
    Photography, Politics, and Chicago

    by sterno on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:02:11 PM PDT

    •  the question is why is he such good friends (none / 0)

      with a non-democratic dictator. id tell them give us all the gas we want or your country will no longer exist. not hold hands with him.

      by balletshooz on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:03:52 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Interesting... (none / 1)

        So you're in the "HOW DID OUR OIL GET UNDER THEIR SAND" imperialist camp?  

        by markymarx on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:19:51 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  as long as saudi arabia is in the business (none / 1)

          of having terrorist creating, jew hating colleges as their main educational means, and charities that go indirectly to suicide bombers, like hamas and islamic jihad, holding hands and walking around the ranch with their dictator is the last thing i'd do.

          by balletshooz on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:22:04 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  so (none / 1)

             id tell them give us all the gas we want or your country will no longer exist.

            No need for a conniption.  I think you might argue, as Bush did, that Saddam was a pretty nasty guy too. So even though I opposed the war in Iraq, I'm not here to be an apologist for the Saudi Government (or Saddam Hussein for that matter).

            But the question stands:  and are you saying you would use nuclear weapons in the above statement?  Or just conventional warfare so that the country "no longer exists?

            by markymarx on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:27:06 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

      •  "Give us all the gas we want"? (none / 1)

        "...your country will no longer exist"?

        If that's what you'd say, then I certainly wouldn't want you in Bush's position. And I don't want BUSH in Bush's position.

        The rational way to deal with an energy crisis is NOT force (see Iraq), but taking a little personal/national responsibility for a damn change. We need to put funds we're instead spending in Iraq, for example, into alternative energy research. And how about a little conservation? Seems a better solution than extortion to me.

        Media reform now!

        by segmentis on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:24:33 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

    •  Yes.. (none / 0)

      And we all know how Bush shows respect to cultures the whole world over.

      I'm with CheeseMoose here.  Of course holding hands doesn't mean you are gay, that just silly chuckling. But what the hell is the PR point of having these photos released?

      by zed on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:04:57 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  If the photo were for the Saudi public (none / 0)

      this would make sense.  

      But for Americans?  I am with our diarist:  I don't get it.  

      by gaianne on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:19:14 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  If that's true... (none / 1)

      why didn't other presidents release pictures of themselves holding hands? This relationship goes back a ways...yet no other president felt compelled to prostrate himself like this.

      Possible reasons that have occured to me:

      1.Since Bush isn't running for re-election he has nothing to lose - and everything to gain after he is out of office. This cements the relationship and gives the powerful something to chuckle over, just at the chutzpah of it.

      1. This is the bone Bush is throwing to the American people, to show he understands the problem. Somebody in the administration must've said, "well, we gotta do something" - and this is all they could come up with, since the real power is not in the adminsitration's hands.

      2. This is just the Saudi's way of telling us who's really in control. They're rubbing our faces in it.

      Interestingness.org "Politics is the entertainment arm of Industry." - Zappa

      by CheeseMoose on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:24:46 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  asdf (4.00 / 2)

    They are merely exchanging long protein strings. If you can think of a simpler way, I'd like to hear it.

    McCain housing policy shaped by lobbyist

    by sgilman on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:10:06 PM PDT

  •  Is that a woodie in Bushie's pocket? (none / 0)

    They're holding hands on the cover of 'House of Bush, House of Saud', by Craig Unger, & their faces are pure afterglow.

    Dean DNC ka-ching! button

    by x on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:18:02 PM PDT

    •  exhibit "A" (4.00 / 3)

      It seems to me that there's a bigoted, homophobic undertone to some of the comments on here.  What do you think?

      by markymarx on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:23:06 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  To pretend there's not something funny (none / 1)

        about these guys holding hands would be the height of political correctness. If we can't make comments about the Homophobe-In-Chief displaying a little homoeroticism, jeez, we might as well  vote Republican.

        Interestingness.org "Politics is the entertainment arm of Industry." - Zappa

        by CheeseMoose on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:34:23 PM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  please... (none / 0)

          begin snark

          Yea, we wouldn't want to be politically correct.  Homophobic humor is always a riot, particularly when directed at other cultures. Did you notice the gay guy in the picture is wearing a funny dress with some sort of towel on his head too?  What was Bush thinking holding hands with him? As someone upthread says, we shouldn't be holding hands, we should threaten to nuke 'em and force them to give us their oil. Yuck yuck yuck.  

          end snark

          by markymarx on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:48:51 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  If holding hands is such a culturally sensitive... (none / 0)

            thing for Bush to do, then how come I've never seen him holding hands with any other Arab leader? This guy happens to control the flow of oil in the world. If Bush was holding Warren Buffet's hand that would make an interesting picture, too. You have to admit Bush hasn't shown much cultural sensitivity to people who don't control the world's oil spigot.

            Interestingness.org "Politics is the entertainment arm of Industry." - Zappa

            by CheeseMoose on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:55:19 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

  •  Dallas Morning News! (4.00 / 2)

    by ouranos on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:23:52 PM PDT

  •  Since FDR, we've been hand holding (none / 0)

    w/the Saudis ;)

    link

    Cats, err, Pooties! for Obama "The president doesn't have a magic wand." The President

    by PhillyGal on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:26:10 PM PDT

  •  Hillary Smooched Arafat So... (none / 0)

    I think this is a non-issue blown big by Michael Moore.

    As for the holding hands with a man angle, it's just a cultural thing like Russians kissing cheeks. Arabs converse together in very close proximity.

    http://www.30-days.net/islam/customs.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 customs and behavior 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.

    Still, it is interesting. It's not like a number of people from that man's country didn't annihilate the Twin Towers and attack the Pentagon and target Bush's own house. It's not like the schools in that man's country don't foster the root attitudes behind such behavior. But we've been over this all before.

    The folks who should be up in arms about this are about as likely to care as they are about to give up pulling the wings off flies, littering, and running over Volvos in their Escalades.

    by NewDirection on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:28:38 PM PDT

  •  I have to post this again (none / 1)

    sorry, I just had to.

    Stop McCain.

    by jancw on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 04:55:06 PM PDT

  •  Sigh........ (none / 0)

    I guess W has dumped Joe Lieberman for a more "ethnic" MAN-DATE.
    And this is all in good fun - no homophobia or Saudi-bashing, it's just so damned hypocritcal of that Bush nut-bag!

    " My goal in life is to be as good of a person that my dog already thinks I am"

    by Limabean on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 05:00:53 PM PDT

  •  right, men holding hands is a custom (none / 0)

    in the east and middle east...as is men kissing the cheeks of friends more like air kisses.  Bush looks like he is planting a lip lock on Abdullah.  The hand holding is stupid. It is done in their countries. I've never known any middle easterners or easterner to do it here.
    This was stupid

    Impeach the whole bunch!!!

    by regis on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 05:26:03 PM PDT

    •  But it is not customary here! (none / 0)

      You would think that when customs disagree the parties involved would find a happy medium. Bush handlers had to know this would cause a commotion because men in the US do not hold hands.

      I have to wonder what the motive is myself, because with Rove everything is carefully planned.

      Perhaps this is just an indication of who is really in charge in this particular situation.

      by bec on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 05:58:55 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  To answer the question explicit in the title... (none / 0)

    ...there is no solid evidence, but much conjecture, that Buchanan ("The Confirmed Southern Bachelor Preznit") was not averse to such shenanigans.

    DFooK

    "Impeach the Cheerleader, save the world!"

    by deepfish on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 06:36:59 PM PDT

  •  There is an even simpler explanation (none / 0)

    I believe Crown Prince Abdullah is actually quite infirm and frail. If you look at the footage just before they meet, you will see there appears to be a "hand over" from an aide to Bush to physically support Abdullah and to assist him walking.

    "That's an entirely valid point" - MBNYC

    by londonbear on Tue Apr 26, 2005 at 11:01:02 PM PDT

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