At the G8 summit, President Bush gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel an unsolicited back massage, which an obviously uncomfortable Merkel quickly shrugged off. (h/t: Crooks and Liars)

  • Video
  • All of a sudden, Jon Stewart’s Sexual Bush-Merkel joke isn’t so outlandish.
  • Taylor Marsh: “This is why Iraq and the Middle East are in flames, and we have no credibility around the world. We have a prepubescent president in charge. It is an outrage.”
  • Lindsay Beyerstein: “Every woman will recognize the guy who sidles up and starts ‘casually’ giving you a backrub….”
  • Steve LaBonne: “I am studying in Germany… and there is no way anyone [here] is going to see this as a joke. People here are going to see it as a complete lack of respect.”
  • Salon’s Rebecca Traister: “You know, some days during this administration, it’s almost too embarrassing to get out of bed in the morning.”

    • Majikthise:

    … Every woman will recognize the guy who sidles up and starts “casually” giving you a backrub without even looking at you, because he wants to preserve deniability in case you freak out. Like any practiced groper, Bush stares right past Merkel as she recoils from his touch.

    The play fails, but he just moves on, eyes averted, like it’s her problem. (“Oh my God, there’s a hysterical woman displaying inappropriate behavior! I’ll just pretend I don’t notice her egregious gaffe.”)

    Yes, our president, the drive-by harasser.

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