A video posted on the White House's social media account Instagram showed US President Barack Obama informally saluting two Marines while holding a coffee cup as he was descending the Air Force One helicopter. The awkward gesture prompted social media tempest of criticisms.
Obama was dismounting Air Force One helicopter in New York on his way to the UN General Assembly when he made the now controversial gesture with a coffee cup in hand. Infuriated conservatives bombarded the social media site Twitter to air their reactions and disapprovals at what they considered a presidential gaffe.
The video went viral on cyberspace that prompted an outrage and a storm of criticisms about Obama's informal gesture. By Wednesday morning, tagged as #LattéSalute was trending on Twitter. However, Time said that the hashtag might be all wrong, considering the president's preference for tea instead of coffee. Some of the tweets are: "President Obama's salute was incredibly disrespectful to the Marines," said Christopher MacNeill on Twitter, while Rick Pohle posted, "No way to justify that one." "Disrespect to the maximum."
The salute has become a custom for the presidents when they encounter the Marines who stand at the bottom of the helicopter stairs; a tradition that is extensively assumed as started by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. But Obama's informal salute while descending the Air Force One helicopter stirred a cupful of controversies saying that the gesture was disrespectful and against proper protocols.
As cited by the Daily Caller, the US Navy manual on customs and courtesies states that saluting in general is the most important of all military gallantries. The manual publishes that the salute formally recognizes the officer as a military superior and returning the salute expresses the officer's gratitude for the junior's support. It is recommended that when one is holding or carrying articles with both hands and being otherwise so occupied to not to salute because it makes saluting impractical.
So while Obama's infamous "coffee cup or tea cup" salute while dismounting the Air Force One helicopter created a tempest of criticisms on social media, just imagine the public's reaction if the president passed the Marines without saluting. That will definitely create another storm of controversies.
President Obama's Air Force One controversial salute is not the first to prompt criticisms. Former President George W. Bush braved media scrutiny when he did an awkward salute with his dog in 2001. So, was the action a sign of disrespect or the salute was just an innocent mistake?
Well, both the public and the presidents should know the proper protocols about saluting so that it will not cause a havoc of negative reactions and criticisms. As the US manual on customs and courtesies emphasizes and highlights the definitions as well as the dos and don'ts, supporters and critics alike should be knowledgeable to properly assess the action in the future.
The presidential salute, nonetheless not required has become a protocol tradition since the Reagan years. Retired editor of Smithsonian Magazine and a former Marine, Carey Winfrey, penned an outstanding presidential salute article for the New York Times, he avows, "When it comes to salutes, presidents deserved to be cut some slack."
Up until now, the presidential salute continues to be argued by several experts, some say that presidents who have not been in the military ought not to salute at all. President Obama's Air Force One controversial salute did not only prompt criticisms but also lessons to the presidents as well, considering their Commander-in-Chiefs titles.
It seems that the current issues that the nation is facing are currently eclipsed after Obama's "coffee cup" informal salute while descending the Air Force One helicopter prompted a tempest of criticisms on social media.
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