#MandelaMemorial: The right wing is freaking out over President Obama shaking the hand of Cuban leader Raul Castro at Nelson Mandela’s memorial at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, Tuesday morning. Um, exactly what was President Obama supposed to do? Be rude? Isn’t the essence of Nelson Mandela the very reason both men attended the ceremony? Obama stopped to shake Castro’s hand as he was walking to the podium to pay tribute to Mandela, ABC News reports.
Can’t wait to hear the usual chorus of haters on Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Drudge Report and Breitbart go nuts over this handshake. They are also claiming President Obama bowed to Raul Castro. Another lie. If you look at the angle of the picture. He was leaning down.
Breitbart: For those who believe in human rights and liberty, the sight of our president bounding up some stairs to energetically shake hands with Raul Castro, dictator of Cuba, was more than a little unsettling — regardless of the circumstance. But that’s what President Obama seemed to go out of his way to do at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service Tuesday.
Sen. Marco Rubio also weighed in, blasting President Obama for not taking Raul Castro to task for human rights violations in Cuba, during the handshake — at Nelson Mandela’s memorial. SMH.
Rubio complains that Obama didn't take Castro to task for denying "basic freedoms": http://t.co/TcXjq3GR0r
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) December 10, 2013
I can't wait until @FoxNews finds out about this—> Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Raul Castro http://t.co/fGj06Jt2GM
— Garrett Khoury (@MockCasbah) December 10, 2013
Bizarre that the media is reporting on the handshake b/w Pres. Obama and Raul Castro as much (if not more) than the funeral of N. Mandela.
— Adam W. Casler (@adamcasler) December 10, 2013
Whoa! An enthusiastic handshake AND another bow to Raul Castro. http://t.co/2oYw6XmONE @abcnews @CBSNews @NBCNews @nytimes @FoxNews #tcot
— Right Wing Jewess (@RightWingJewess) December 10, 2013
Tyrants gonna tyrant. Obama shakes hands with Cuba's Raul Castro http://t.co/Ep2agFNN1F
— Ali (@LibertyBelle38) December 10, 2013
This was cross-posted from The Hinterland Gazette.
UPDATE: The controversy over the handshake rages among conservatives issuing over the top sound bites and conservative bloggers. GO HERE FORE DETAILS.