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“Smart diplomacy”: Finger-wagging good

After bowing to Hu and bear-hugging Lula, it was time to wag a finger at Harper:

The look on Harper’s face, I can’t read. He’s either cowed or repressing his own anger. He appears to be looking directly at Obama’s finger. He is making a fist. Anyone want to supply a caption?

Here’s the photo:

Meanwhile Michelle Obama Debuts Solo Diplomacy in Mexico City. She’s scheduled to visit with Mexican First Lady Margarita Zavala, stop by the Museum of Anthropology and History, the Siete de Enero elementary school, and give a speech at the IberoAmerican University.

That ought to go well.

At least Michelle didn’t wag any fingers while in Haiti.

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I’ll talk about Michelle Obama’s Mexico trip in today’s podcast at 11AM Eastern.

Related reading:
Michelle Obama Arrives in Mexico

Michelle Obama launches solo agenda on Mexico tour
Mexico, Haiti trip defining Michelle Obama international image
Robin Givhan examines Michelle Obama’s first trip abroad alone

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Comments

  3. Kathy,
    petty at best
    Why? Because I find fault with the President?
    What other interpretation is there to anyone wagging a finger at another adult. other than it is insulting?

  4. Obama is more popular in Canada than Stephen Harper is, so this isn’t good for Harper’s image back home.

  6. Fausta,

    It is not at all petty to find fault with the President. He deserves a tremendous amount of criticism, every word of all of his policy being just the beginning of what he gives us to criticize. In fact, I have never disagreed with you since the first day I started reading your blog, the day of the un-coup in Honduras.

    However, the picture seems to me to be of him using gestures to speak rather than specifically wagging a finger at Harper. Maybe a video of the moment would be a lot more clear. If he is indeed wagging his finger at Mr. Harper, then shame on Mr. Obama…yet again. The single frame doesn’t appear to me to justify that interpretation, but I’m just looking at a picture. If he is simply using gestures to speak and the camera caught a weird moment, then he doesn’t deserve to be criticized for it. I think it is important not to go overboard with criticism, especially if the criticism in this case is not due, because the Left constantly does that to their discredit. For example, if we disagree with the president, the left labels us as racists. If we don’t like the government controlling everything, we’re redneck, gun-toting idiots. If we demand the federal government be limited by the law set forth in the Constitution, we’re heartless, greedy bastards. And on and on ad nauseum.

    I do apologize for being so harsh in using the word petty.

    Kathy