President Obama, whose disapproval numbers are at the lowest of his presidency, did himself no favors as he disembarked Marine One earlier this week. As per protocol from the United States Marine Corp, two marines awaited the president at the base of the steps clad in full “dress blues”.
They both raise their hands in salute which salute is not returned until after the president has saluted them back. Apparently, the president had other things on his mind because he descended the staircase with a Styrofoam coffee cup in his right hand. As he passed the Marines, he did an improper salute both in terms of the form in which he did it and because he still had the coffee cup in his right hand.
Images of the president’s awkward salute spread through cyberspace. The reaction has not been kind. Some bloggers looked up the protocol in the Marine handbook and noted that at no time should a person salute whose hands are holding any object. Nor should a person salute if they are engaged in something that would make the salute “impractical”.
The reaction to the president’s behavior has been swift and critical. Many of those making comments cited the obvious lack of respect the president offered to the Marines. Others viewed his behavior as being beneath the office of the presidency. Some were a little more pragmatic and suggested that he could have at least taken the cup in his other hand. A small contingent viewed the matter as a non-issue.