Barack Obama has responded to critics who say he was “joking around too much” when he met Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez who has bumped heads with the US in the past.

“It’s unlikely that as a consequence of me shaking hands or having a polite conversation with Mr. Chavez that we are endangering the strategic interest of the United States…There have been instances in which we’ve seen Venezuela interfere with some of the countries that surround Venezuela in ways that I think are a source of concern…The whole notion was that somehow if we showed courtesy or opened up dialogue with governments that had previously been hostile to us, that that somehow would be a sign of weakness…The American people didn’t buy it. And there’s a good reason the American people didn’t buy it, it doesn’t make sense.” Barack told reporters at the close of a Summit of the Americas.

First the fist bump, now this.

Photo: AFP

Tagged as: Barack Obama, Controversy, Fist Bump, Handshake, Hugo Chavez, Politics, Venezula