Obama’s ‘latte salute’ sparks outrage

A video footage that shows President Barack Obama returning a formal military salute by saluting with a coffee cup has sparked outrage in social media.

Following his national address on airstrikes in Syria on Tuesday, Obama stepped off Marine One with his coffee cup in hand while paying a military respect with the same hand.

The video of the “Latte Salute” which was later posted on Instagram by White House aides went viral in a flash. Social media platforms such as Twitter exploded with angry users calling for respect for the Marines.

“Dear POTUS. Place cup in left hand and salute with the right. Please. You are embarrassing us,” one commenter said on the White House’s Instagram account.

“President Obama’s salute was incredibly disrespectful to the Marines. No way to justify that one,” wrote Christopher MacNeill on Twitter.

“IMPEACH RT @NRCC: Wait – did President Obama just salute the Marines with a LATTE in his hand?!” wrote another user.

The salute is “the most important of all military courtesies,” says a manual, titled “Customs and Courtesies,” for Marine Corps officer candidates, Daily Caller wrote in a story covering the controversial video.

“In general, do not salute when… carrying articles with both hands or being otherwise so occupied as to make saluting impractical,” the manual says.

In 2001, former US president George W. Bush also famously gaffed in the salute while holding his dog. While not mandatory, the salute has become a protocol since Ronald Regan years.

AN/AGB