The following videos are offered as part of a weekend update. Please understand that they may contain offensive language.
A five-second video of President George W. Bush placing his hands on the shoulders of German Chancellor Angela Merkel is raising a mainstream and blog-based media storm around the world.
The whole encounter lasted barely seconds. At first glance, this gesture looks harmless, but it goes against common sense in a professional political environment, and the public relations staff at the Executive Branch has been scrambling to put this issue to bed.
Several bits from the G8 Summit have become the subject for comedic responses with overtones of concern looming over the brewing warfare in the Middle East. Comedy television series The Daily Show showed clips of a press conference where President Bush made three references to a pig roast taking place later that evening, saying that he would even have a chance to carve the pig at a feast hosted by the Germans.
The primary message spun by these types of media sources is comedy, but the aforementioned overtones of concern are present and hinted at by the host, comedian Jon Stewart, who even picks up on the sheer irony of Bush joking about eating a pig, a banned food in both the Jewish and Muslim faiths.
A new war is raging in the Middle East region of the world, with one government begging the international community for help, unable to defend itself, and another government responding to a perceived threat and the kidnapping of one of its soldiers.
This reporter gives no opinion on which side is right, as no angle of warfare can be deemed sheerly positive. That is not the point of this article.
One certainty, America, and the west, have done nothing further than attempt to withdraw its own citizens from the war-torn region.
A humanitarian crisis is looming. So far, 500,000 Lebanese have been left homeless and another 150,000 have fled their home country altogether. So far, 261 are dead in Lebanon with 582 wounded, according to CNN. When a journalist asked President Bush about this situation, he responded with a joke about eating a pig.
The following was taken by blogger, Bassem Masloum. It contains something this reporter has never seen out his Boston window.
Suddenly, I'm not hungry anymore.
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
Afraid I just don't get it. That last video wasn't at all clear. It looked like the Israeli planes were deliberately avoiding the apartment complexes in the foreground and going after some lower-profile target in the hills.
And what's the point of your pig and merkels videos? Bush likes to eat pork? So do I. So do the Germans. Why is this a cause for concern?
Dave
2 - John Guilfoil
Three specific points are being made. First, and least important, the President's common sense was called into question.
Second and secondly important, when asked about the war and the boiling over crisis in Lebanon, the president responded with a joke about a pig roast.
Third and most importantly, there's a war going on that we're only vaguely aware of, and the guy who shot that video has simply been lucky so far, unlike almost 300 others.
3 - Marcella
Get a life. Bush has a good one. In Nov. you comics will be laughing out of the other side of your mouth. You Demos. are all alike.. Dumb
4 - Dave Nalle
Personally, like Bush, I'd rather be at a pig roast than in Lebanon or at the G8 conference with Fat Angie.
Dave
5 - Staci Schoff
Evidently I'm the only person in the universe who doesn't think touching someone's shoulders to say hello as you walk into a room is the most heinous and weird thing a person could do. I think she was startled... big whoop.
The rest though... yeah, I'm not so hungry now either.
6 - pleasexcusetheinterruption
Yeah but it was a little wierd, and pretty funny.