Are you a magnet for awkward situations? Perhaps you should consider a career in politics.
From painfully long photo ops to playing nice with an opponent—while the cameras are rolling, of course—to practically any situation involving Vice President Joe Biden, the political world is rife with awkward situations.
There are few things more awkward than a staged handshake. President Barack Obama welcomed Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny to the White House in March. What he did not welcome was the Prime Minister’s attempt at a handshake during a photo op in the Oval Office, when Kenny tried to go in for the palm press just as President Obama looked away.
Then there are the hugs. Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney suffered the web’s ridicule after a goodbye hug from the President went viral. But the clumsy Obama/Carney embrace faced stiff competition from the hug former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel received from Obama after announcing his retirement. Apparently, Hagel is not a hugger.
What’s more awkward than gifting someone with a potentially hazardous weapon? Hugging them while holding said weapon, of course. Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio have been friends for years, as evidenced by the time Bush presented his protege with a sword to celebrate Rubio’s elevation to Florida House speaker.
Regardless of political party or position, politicians are at least as awkward as everyone else.