The Florida man-hug becomes a political handshake
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Florida Gov. Charlie Crist greeted President Obama with a discreet handshake this morning, a far cry from the bear hug the two shared in the past. But don’t worry, their relationship hasn’t changed; it’s just a political thing.
It was just less than a year ago that Crist embraced Obama and strongly supported the $787-billion federal stimulus package. But that was before Marco Rubio, a former state legislator, used that image to come out of nowhere and challenge the once-invincible governor in the race for the GOP nomination to the U.S. Senate.
Rubio clawed his way back from 30 points down in the race to take a slight lead, according to the latest polls.
Crist was being more careful this time.
In a televised arrival, Obama, visiting Florida to tout his jobs and high-speed-rail plans, gripped Crist’s hand and held his arm. Vice President Joe Biden was close to the pair, and that might lead to another campaign shot for Rubio to use.
Crist defended greeting the president, telling reporters that if he had feared appearing with Obama, he would have skipped the arrival.
“We don’t agree on everything, but we agree when it comes to fighting for jobs for my fellow Floridians,’ Crist said. ‘I have an opportunity as governor to fight for them every day, and damn it, I’m gonna do it.’
-- Michael Muskal
Twitter.com/LATimesmuskal
