George W. Bush rubs people the wrong way. Here in the U.S., his approval ratings remain well below the Mendoza line. In Europe, he is only slightly more popular than the avian flu. On his recent visit abroad for the G-8 Summit, the President managed to rub German Chancellor Angela Merkel the wrong way…literally. In a moment that raises serious questions (in this clinician’s mind) about Mr. Bush’s judgment, impulse control, and boundaries, the Canoodler-in-Chief sidled over to the Chancellor—the leader of the European Union’s most populous and economically powerful state—and gave her an unsolicited neck rub. As evidenced by the photo above, Ms. Merkel was, to say the least, a bit taken aback. One can only wonder what (or if) the President was thinking. Perhaps his alcohol-ravaged brain cells led him to mistake the political summit for a frathouse gabfest. Or maybe he is no more astute about Good Touch/Bad Touch than he is about Good War/Bad War. Regardless, Bush’s handlers and apologists have been quick to dismiss the whole affair. The blogosphere, on the other hand, is having a field day, as reported by Carla Marinucci in yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle:

It’s not exactly “Presidents Gone Wild!” but for the normally staid Group of Eight Summit, a video of President George W. Bush sidling behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and delivering an impromptu neck rub is, well, as wild as it gets.

The scene, captured by a Russian TV camera, hit the Internet like a summer wildfire Tuesday, and it may be most memorable for the German chancellor’s reaction. Bush applies his hands to Merkel’s shoulders and neck while she’s speaking with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi; the chancellor hunches her shoulders, then throws her hands up to stop the unexpected massage with a wan smile — and an expression which can best be translated as “Ewwww.”

While the incident didn’t get a lot of play on major TV media, it was just one of the Bush G-8 gaffes that garnered considerable space in the blogosphere from London to Los Angeles.

Bloggers on sites like truthdig.com expounded at length on the U.S. president’s now-famed open mike incident in which Bush let slip the “s-word” while talking with British Prime Minister Tony Blair; it wasn’t so much the potty mouth as the president speaking with his mouth full that horrified many international critics.

But it was the massage for Merkel — notably the only female at the G-8 table — which earned Bush the title of “Groper in Chief” on some Web sites.

One German tabloid, BILD-Zeitung, which posted the link to the video and headlined it: “Bush: Love Attack on Merkel!”

And Dialog International, a Web site that specializes in German-American politics and culture, said Bush’s behavior raised questions about the American president and his profile abroad.

“When he is away from his script and his handlers, his true lack of intelligence and emotional maturity surfaces for all to see. The dangerous situation in Lebanon … requires true leadership. Don’t look for it from the world’s uberpower.” more…