July 9, 2009 5:34 PM

Obama Becomes First President to Greet Qadhafi

By
Mark Knoller
Topics
White House
(AP Photo)
It was more handshake diplomacy by President Obama as he became the first US president to exchange a face-to-face greeting with Libyan leader Moammar Qadhafi.

As Chairman of the African Union, Qadhafi was invited to attend the G8 Summit Leaders dinner tonight in L'Aquila, Italy.

As the chiefs of state and heads of government gathered for a class photo, Qadhafi approached President Obama and they shook hands. It was a polite encounter, conducted according to protocol. Qadhafi smiled, Mr. Obama not so much.

Back in the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan would sooner have cut off his arm than shake hands with Qadhafi.

"We do not underestimate the brutality of this evil man," said Mr. Reagan of the Libyan leader in 1986, who was deemed by the U.S. to be world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism.

President Reagan regarded Qadhafi as a "madman," a ruler of an "outlaw regime," and "an enemy of the United States."

Qadhafi took power in a 1969 coup, after which U.S. relations with the North African nation became increasingly strained to the point of military action.

In 1986, Mr. Reagan ordered air strikes on military targets in Libya after evidence linking it to a bombing incident in Berlin which claimed the lives of two American servicemen.

(AP Photo)
"Long before I came into this office, Colonel Qadhafi had engaged in acts of international terror, acts that put him outside the company of civilized men, " said Mr. Reagan in an address to the nation on April 14, 1986.

Libya was also implicated in the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 which claimed the lives of 270 people.

But now, 21 years later, the U.S. and Libya enjoy normal diplomatic relations. In January of this year, the two countries exchanged ambassadors for the first time since 1973.

A sea change in Qadhafi's behavior and zealous anti-American policies took place six years ago when Libya announced it would rid itself of weapons of mass destruction. It cooperated in this effort with the U.S., Britain and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

In exchange, the U.S. began normalizing relations with Libya by ending trade sanctions, unfreezing assets and opening a diplomatic office in Tripoli. It was upgraded to a full embassy in May 2006.

And tonight in Italy, Qadhafi shook hands with the American president and sat just two seats away from him at dinner. In between them was the summit host, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

In the litany of controversial handshakes, tonight's encounter with Qadhafi follows President Obama's exchanges in April with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega. No fist-bumps on that list just yet.

(CBS)
Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.

Add a Comment See all 18 Comments
by rinoHUNTER July 11, 2009 12:48 AM EDT
Until you pathetic libtards quit following your bleeding hearts, and thinking that the "dems" are any different than the "neocons", we are in big trouble. THEY ARE ALL TRAITORS TO THIS NATION, grow up, and grow a pair. Useful idiots. Oooo, deep thoughts(by Jack Handy) and strategic reasons??? Sure. BTW~ Moron, num is spelled numb. Why is it that you libtards can never spell??? Hmmmmm... I guess indoctrination doesn't require spelling skills. Welcome to the global plantation.
Reply to this comment
by rinoHUNTER July 10, 2009 10:51 PM EDT
Until you pathetic libtards quit following your bleeding hearts, and thinking that the "dems" are any different than the "neocons", we are in big trouble. THEY ARE ALL TRAITORS TO THIS NATION, grow up, and grow a pair. Useful idiots. Oooo, deep thoughts(by Jack Handy) and strategic reasons??? Sure. BTW~ Moron, num is spelled numb. Why is it that you libtards can never spell??? Hmmmmm... I guess indoctrination doesn't require spelling skills. Welcome to the global plantation.
Reply to this comment
by pepperwood2 July 10, 2009 10:58 AM EDT
Obama Becomes First President to Greet Qadhafi!

Unlike Predecessors, Clinton Left Behind on Presidential Foreign Travel. Look at it this way Brother Qadhafi. Don't ask & I won't tell. cackle cackle cackle
Reply to this comment
by SAMTORRES66 July 10, 2009 10:39 AM EDT
For all the republican num nuts(Idiots), there is deep thought out strategic reasons for this visit.....
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by jclark7613 July 10, 2009 10:31 AM EDT
It amaze me that you right wing nuts find offense with the President shaking Qadhafi hand. What was is suppose to do. The reason that he is greeted so warmly is that he want the world to unite. You right wing nuts want us to hate the world. Them against us. Sorry I don't believe it has to be that way. Yes we can't get along with everyone and yes you have to go to war at times but if there are fences to be mended we should. Our country lost respect and value long before our new President and I would like to have the same standing we did before the Crazy Bush
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by moonbeam91 July 10, 2009 8:49 AM EDT
MKnoller when you write an article at least try a little to be more journalistic. Stop defending BO. He 'didn't smile so much' who cares Barack should NOT have shaken hands with MKhadafi. Furthermore in the photo he looks quite glad to be meeting MKhadafi.
Reply to this comment
by Hugamuslum July 10, 2009 8:45 AM EDT
Libya was also implicated in the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am 103 which claimed the lives of 270 people.

This president literally makes me sick!
Reply to this comment
by ReallyMeanIt July 11, 2009 11:24 AM EDT
by McRoboCon July 10, 2009 5:52 AM PDT
Republicons are responsible for the needless deaths of over 4000 US troops in Iraq, and over 150,000 civilian deaths in Iraq. Republicons remain, and always will be the lowest life form on the planet Earth.
--------------------------------------------
Now back to reality, al quaida is responsible for the death of our troops along with the aid of the libs unwittingly providing aid and comfort to them.
Looked in the mirror libs and see who's the lowest life form. Your love for saddamm, who murdered countless of people using WMD and sadistic human rights abuse, is a disgraced to civilized society.
by South-of-Heaven July 10, 2009 8:39 AM EDT
Sadly during that time, Rumsfeld was Shaking Hands With Saddam
and under the table giving him WMD......
Reply to this comment
by SAMTORRES66 July 10, 2009 7:59 AM EDT
Qadhafi is a creep...BUSH should have taken him out....
Reply to this comment
by clancy49 July 10, 2009 5:29 AM EDT
The difference now is the leader is no longer an enemy, but allowed the bank to enter his land and become power control of his land. Owned by the bank like the rest of the world, we now embrace him. He still may do as he desires in his leadership, but we embrace him. He is no longer condemned as a tyrant. He is now one of the owned.
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