Doesn't it seem like a good thing that our new president hasn't yet been burned in effigy by foreign protestors? I guess they're leaving that up to Fox News.
I've listened to all the invective directed at the President for his too-friendly handshake with Hugo Chavez, his acceptance of an America-bashing book by Chavez, and his attendance at an angry speech given by Daniel Ortega on American Imperialism.
I can't say that Hugo Chavez is my favorite political leader. He's probably not Obama's, either. Regardless, our American president was attending the summit of the Americas. It wasn't a social occasion - it was a political summit. Some people believe in being polite even to people who they don't really care for. And when the leader of a country offers you a book in public, I can't see how it would be anything other than completely rude to refuse to take it. Why create an international incident over such a small thing? President Obama probably had not even read the book, so he had no idea of the contents. In any case, he is not responsible for the contents of any books other than his own.
Again, President Obama was sitting in the audience during a speech given by Daniel Ortega, the president of Nicaragua. Daniel Ortega is certainly not my favorite political leader. He's had his own accusations of corruption in his government and doesn't have his hands clean either. But when you attend a convention, isn't it ok to listen to points of view that are different from your own? Obama wasn't putting his stamp of approval on the guy. He was just exhibiting good manners. A good thing.
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