A Picture Worth 1000 Words

This picture is worth the proverbial thousand words.  http://time.com/4479763/g20-7-things-obama-china-staircase-plane/

These are two men with clearly some attitude, mostly bad, directed at each other.  In diplomatic circles, and conferences like the G 20 where this was taken, even the worst of enemies will smile when they shake hands.  The cameras are everywhere and will not miss a thing.  There is protocol to it that says any person who represents their country can put aside differences with another country long enough for a photo.  They can call each other names and shout back in the conference rooms with their interpreters.

These guys look like two prize fighters who are meeting at the weigh-in and trying to show their best "mean look" to try to intimate the other guys before the fight ever starts.  It is not the kind of look that they want the world to see at an international party hosted by China.  I kept waiting for Xi to show up and hug each of them to lighten things up.

There is something dark in that picture.  Mull it over and tell me those two are not happy with one another and they cannot put that aside for this short period of time it takes for the press to finish their job.  That is not very long.  Maybe they say that the Russians really are messing in the US elections, and the President knows it.  Maybe that little foray into the Ukraine and the capture of Crimea was important after all.  Maybe Syria has them both uptight a little.  Maybe they say they there is more than just diplomatic cables and letter writing going on.  There is something more serious than the usual diplomacy between countries that don't and won't get along for very long.  This is about things they can't say in public, so they say it another way.  A picture worth much more than the usual thousand words.