Obama and Chavez were probably laughing about the embarrassing job Ensign did leading the GOP electoral efforts in 2008 as head of the NRSC.

I know I laugh about that every time I see that blow-dried clown on TV.

"That visual image is going to be used by Chavez to legitimize himself," said the Nevada Republican senator

Maybe someone will break it to Ensign that Chavez is legitimate. He was elected, twice, in free and fair elections. Just because he does things that the Republicans and other US power brokers don't like doesn't make him illegitimate. Isn't fostering democracy what the wingnuts are all about?

And on the evil South/Central American dictator scale, he scores pretty low, especially compared to our "friends" in Columbia.

How good of Senator Ensign to explain how Hugo Chavez will be able to "legitimize" himself because of his public handshake with President Obama. But how in the world can Senator Ensign ever begin to legitimize himself?

I'll admit I haven't been following the ins and outs of Venezuelan politics, but Chavez has been elected and re-elected several times so he must be doing something right. Is he really an "odious" "bad guy from South America" or are we taking at face value the GOP meme that "everybody knows Chavez is an oppressive dictator"?

Ensign also seems confused about Chavez. Which is it, that Chavez is an arrogant posturing dictator (in which case his ego is what he relies on for 'legitimacy' and he doesn't need Obama) or is he a weak, threatened politician who needs to be seen with Obama in order to get some vicarious stature? Does a personality like Chavez's really need a photo with Obama to use 'to legitimize himself'? Hardly.

Obama was supposed to glower and speak sternly at Chavez, maybe trash-talk him a bit. Then he was supposed to shove him and double-dare him to shove back. Then he was supposed to sock him on the jaw and call him an "upstart."

Either that or challenge him to a game of hoops.

Republicans: All insecure, sniping 13-year-old girls at heart, except when they're being pugilistic, unthinking 13-year-old boys.

Maybe Barack shoulda sent Donald Rumsfeld to shake Hugo's hand. Yeah! That's the ticket!

Is it just me, or does it seem like Ensign is looking to be the next Republican Senator from the west to lose a Presidential run?

When you are the most powerful person in the world, you don't hide from the little guys. How these GOP fools have managed to survive this long on that level of intelligence is one of life's greatest mysteries.

I may be missing something, but wasn't Chavez elected by popular vote? We may not like him but he's the representative of his country, and Ensign ought to know that that makes him the leader of then nation. We don't deal with him because we like him, we deal with him because his Country CHOSE him as the man we must deal with. Despite the fact that when Ensign's party controlled the White House they were only to eager to endorse the leaders of a Coup, Obama seems disinclined to operate that way, and I don't think the majority of Americans want him to.

Given all that, what's the furor about? Nothing more than scraps to feed the ravenous and disappointed party members who thought the last 8 years were simply the preamble to the 1000 Year Reich(or was that "the Permanent Majority"?)

Is he really an "odious" "bad guy from South America" or are we taking at face value the GOP meme that "everybody knows Chavez is an oppressive dictator"?

It would be helpful if Steve would identify exactly what he finds odious about Chavez, so we can have some idea what specific behaviors he has in mind.

Besides their cadre of racist rednecks is aanyone paying any attention to these clowns?

Perhaps Ensign could begin to "legitimize himself" by shaking Obama's hand and smiling.

The caveat would be whether Obama would be willing to shake that dork's hand at all. Maybe, if the occasion arises, Obama could hold his hand out to Ensign and when Ensign goes for a shake, Obama pulls his away and laughs so loud that Ensign fills his pants. I guy can dream can't he?...

What Does Ensign Want?

Mr. Benen suggests a variety of avoidance strategies. With all due respect, ridiculous!

What the Republicans want President Obama to do is come out swinging - literally. "Connect" with Hugo Chavez - by punching him in the face. Perhaps even demonstrate his Second Amendment rights as an American citizen. At the very least, loudly denounce Mr. Chavez to his face, in front of cameras, and using abusive language.

Then, they'd criticize the President for his rudeness. Because being a Republican means that all of your inconsistent positions are right.

you know, i get really, really tired of people reflexively referring to hugo chavez as a "third rate bad guy."

and steve benen super disappoints me when he does it because i expect a better class of discourse.

i'd like some explication of why steve thinks chavez deserves that label, because from where i sit chavez's "crime" was to oppose the bush administration's attempts to set up their guy as president of venezuela.

Obama and Chavez were probably laughing about the embarrassing job Ensign did leading the GOP electoral efforts in 2008 as head of the NRSC.

Yum.

He was elected, twice, in free and fair elections.

Three times, but who's counting when there are so many Republican talking points to help disseminate?

in my irritation i didn't bother to read the previous comments.

it appears i not alone in thinking that "third rate bad guy" is an inappropriate moniker.

"That visual image is going to be used by Chavez to legitimize himself," said the Nevada Republican senator in an interview this week with the Fix.

After all, we all know how Chairman Mao legitimized himself by shaking hands with Richard Milhous Nixon. (OK, so Bill O'Reilly didn't.)

and steve benen super disappoints me when he does it because i expect a better class of discourse.

One more comment and I'll stop hogging the thread, but I really think Steve's playing by Washington Monthly rules now. This is so Kevin Drum. I really don't remember Steve doing this stuff when he Carpetbagged, but I was only over there regularly for a few months, so maybe I'm misremembering. If so, y'all will correct me.

And another thing...

Why doesn't someone show that twit the video of Mao smiling and shaking hands with Nixon, or the War Crimimal Rumsfeld doing it with saddam, a guy he later caused to be hanged, or for that matter, Bushit geasing the palm of any of those middle eastern clowns that sell us the oil Ensign needs to drive his car to the Porn shop. Nauseating...

Even Peggy Noonan seems more rational. From one of the reasonable parts of her current column:

Mr. Obama shakes hands with everyone, as is appropriate, for if American presidents dined only with leaders of high moral caliber and democratic disposition, they'd often sit alone at the table of nations. Though the controversy was that Mr. Obama shook Hugo Chavez's hand at the summit last week, the news was the desperation with which Mr. Chavez tried to get in the picture with him. It's not terrible when they want to be in the picture with you. It all depends on what you do with the proximity and in the ensuing conversation.

There's a little implied nastiness in that last line, but it's strictly correct: it does all depend on what you do with the proximity and in the ensuing conversation.

I think eeeensign and his sub 100 I.Q. cohorts would really like to have seen Obama walk right up to Chavez and give him the finger proving that the USA don't take no shit.
By the way for all of you getting down on Steve here a modicum of fact checking will show that Chavez is no angel. It's one of the wonders of that new fangled thing called the internet that we can check facts on most things instantly.

the Senator needs to stop watching Faux News and catch some Countdown. The beauty of the Mao film is wonderfully multi-faceted.

A Republican President (who most of the current knuckleheads worked for) shakes hands with a foreign leader far, far worse - that is, brutal, repressive, and a threat to the US - than Chavez could ever even aspire to be.

But, they say, if Obama had to shake his hand for protocol, he shouldn't have smiled when he did it!

Ah, lets go back to the tape, where Nixon was grinning ear to ear and, as I recall, actually took gifts to the Chairman.

But, they say, look at the pattern - he also bowed before the Saudi king. America bows to no one!

And again to the tape where if one watches carefully, they will see Nixon bow from the waist to 45-degrees while shaking Mao's hand.

But, they say, IOKIYAR!

Hm. They got me on that one.

Manufactured cow farts...

And more cow farts...
Meanwhile in a tempest in a teapot called Earth:

THE threat of devastating climate change is now so great that some scientists say it is time to investigate a Plan B - geo-engineering on a planetary scale.

Me?

I just sitting back watching a species fart itself to death.
A really love to watch them blow...

By the way for all of you getting down on Steve here a modicum of fact checking will show that Chavez is no angel.

A modicum of reading comprehension reveals that no one here is calling Chavez an angel. He's also not a dictator (though Steve doesn't call him one here), nor does the general application of the phrases "odious" or "bad guy" without specifics do anything but reinforce purposely vague Republican talking points.

Ensign seems to believe America's stature is fragile, and casual courtesies at an international forum promote weakness. President Obama seems to believe America's stature is so strong, it can withstand a handshake with a foreign head of state, odious or not.

Thanks. This goes beyond "Ensign is a douche" and actually explains why. Ensign's other problem is that the 2008 election was a referendum on which style of foreign policy America ought to have. Obama's style is what Americans chose, changing course from years treating enemies to cold shoulders while treating allies to massaged shoulders.

Missing from all this, IMO, is the question of after 8 years of the Bush kleptocracy, what legitimacy does the US yet have the ability to confer on other countries and their leaders - whether democratic or despotic?

It's going to take a lot of friendly diplomacy by Obama to regain that stature.

Yes, Gandalf, the internet - Now, I do not care much for Ensign (R-Mandalay Bay), but, to imply he is a sub-100 IQ dufus, flies in the face of the tough standards set by Colorado State Veternary programs. Yes, he may be dufus in this Chavez dust-up, but, he was a successful vet before his step-father's casino money propelled him to run against Bilbray and, then, Reid.

Chavez may be no angel, but, who has done more for the poor in his region? If, one does as much for the under privileged, let them be called "third rate" and let there be more of them.

Didn't Hugo Chavez win TWO ELECTIONS ?
Were there ANY LEGITIMATE observers who disputed the results ?

Chavez is genuinely popular in Venezuela

He dosen't need Obama's smile to 'legitimize' him

They must be thinking of Bush and Cheney who need to be legitimized

Republicans are in a box. Ensign is taking the pointless criticism route. John Bolton is taking a different route: claiming that Obama has come around to his way of thinking. Last week Bolton was on NPR "praising" Obama for pulling out of the anti-racism conference. Of course he still found a way of complaining by saying that Obama changed his mind and also compromised by deciding to join the human rights group, replacing Canada.

Bolton is a little ahead of the game in his approach. Give a little praise, claim that Obama now agrees with the republicans, but criticize, minimize and trivialize the overall effort.

Most important: do all of this after the fact.

To be fair, Chavez' international persona is a bit clownish to say the least (remember the whole "I can still smell the sulphur left over from when Bush stood here yesterday" line from the UN?) It's not surprising that many don't defend the guy...

(personally I think he's hilarious, but then I'm not a politician :)

One thing that bugs me about this whole thing is this weird notion that international diplomacy is on par with the playground in Junior High. Where the toughest guy rules the monkey bars and the wimpy guy has to grovel for attention. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth - but for some reason the Right likes to perpetrate this ridiculous image of The Tough Diplomat.

Hardly necessary to repeat the point that Chavez is legitimate - elected three times, simply because he is doing what Venezuelans want him to do. What's difficult about that?

If Goppers want to question legitimacy they should look no further than their own shores over the past eight years. Anyway, others above have made that point quite effectively - which, of course, will fall on deaf ears and blind eyes as far as Ensign and his confused cohorts are concerned. Maybe that doesn't matter since it is obvious Obama understands the score here.

We're not "past this nonsense" because the apparent sole function of everybody in the profession of journalism is to discuss ad nauseum whatever slop the Repubs have ladled out for this week's news cycle, and to stop discussing it only when the next spoonful of tasteless drivel is fed to the eagerly waiting pundits, and so on forever. Oh sweet anticipation, whatever will Monday bring?

I'd like to echo the point made by others above. Chevez IS legitimate, elected by a population residing in a democracy. Just because some outside observers and opponents happen to dislike that choice doesn't make his presidency less legitimate.

I'm with Katie on this one. These hypocritical Yahoos keep jamming their pasty faces in front of whatever camera or microphone is handy, spewing their demonstrably fact-free drivel until it's washing around our ankles like backed-up sewage and then waiting for their 30 seconds to come around again on the evening news (or, in this case, the all-day blog). They're lying, hypocritical, bottom-feeding fascists, of which we need not a modicum more evidence. It would be sooooo refreshing if the media, this space included, declared a Rethug-Free Day and, instead of giving these a$$hats a single second of undeserved attention, focused instead on what the adults are doing.

Ensign continues to get plenty of free press from it.

"if American presidents dined only with leaders of high moral caliber and democratic disposition, they'd often sit alone at the table of nations." Peggy Noonan

And W could never have sat down to dinner at all.

"That visual image is going to be used by Chavez to legitimize himself,"

As others have already pointed out, Mr. Chavez legitimized himself a long time ago by winning two landslide elections that international observers said were clean and above board. George Bush and the Dick don't even try to claim that.

If you want to talk about legitimization, then Mr. Obama was trying to legitimize himself by being seen with the person who is bankrolling the Latin America Development Bank (or whatever it's called) and leading the charge for Latin American countries to take control of their own fate in their own hands.

And if you want to talk about dictators, then we have to mention Anastasia Somoza, Pinochet, the Argentinian military, the previous Paraguayan regime, Uribe, and others too numerous to mention. I haven't heard that Ensign has a problem with any of them even though they were worse than Chavez ever thought of being.

I guess Rethuglicans are now against common courtesy? Sort of explains Beck, Limbaugh, Bachmann, Gingrich, the past eight years, etc.

fry1laurie, Republicans have been opposed to common courtesy for ages. Nixon rarely showed any. I was in college in the early 80s when Republicans were stark raving mad about "political correctness" -- which was really nothing more than the common courtesy of not calling people offensive names (and, more important, preventing date rape, but that discussion is a little different). Republicans, of course, fought loudly for the right to call "the others" any name they chose, and almost painted it as un-American to treat each other politiely. they've been at this a long, long time. at core, they tend to be bitter little people. (and i mean that with all due courtesy)