President Bush proved himself less than familiar with Catholic etiquette when, on his way home from the G8 summit in Germany, he stopped for an audience with the Pope in the Vatican.
First he failed to bow before shaking hands, saying: "It's great to be here." Then officials cringed as he repeatedly called the Pontiff 'sir'.
Yes, as you can clearly see, Bush is a graceless oaf, with no clue what he is supposed to do in public situations. And reporters never make embarrassing gaffes, nor purport to be eyewitnesses to events at which they were obviously not present.
On the other hand, this is a Bush gaffe. The President of the United States appearing in his official capacity bows to nobody, as he represents the sovereign people of the United States. Let's see if anyone notices that.
As an aside, do people understand that Rome is on both sides of the Tiber? Just wondering where that odd euphemism originated.
