early and often

Obama’s Fist-Bump Fracas [UPDATED]

obama

Ooooh! Faked ya out!”Photo: Getty Images

Time’s Mark Halperin noticed a sad little tidbit in today’s Obama press-pool report from the candidate’s Eastside Community Ministry tour in Chicago. After visiting and joking around with a group of kids, this is what happened:

He then came back to the room where the children were drawing pictures. Stooping over a table, he autographed a number of drawings. The children were delighted; one girl held her picture to her cheek after Obama signed it.


As he left, a boy tried to give him a fist bump. Obama said no.

“If I start that …” his voice trailed off.

This makes us sad on so many levels.

Obama Declines to Fist Bump [Page/Time]
Update: As many irate commenters have pointed out, Obama did not, in fact, deny a fist bump to a small boy. He just refused to write on the kid’s hand with an indelible marker. We apologize for the error, and promise to take down that pool reporter with a nail gun.

Obama’s Fist-Bump Fracas [UPDATED]