Bush shakes Haitian’s hand, wipes it on Clinton

Did he or didn't he mean to wipe his hand on Bill Clinton? The internet is abuzz with commentary on the question of whether George W Bush, meeting and greeting in a refugee camp in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, used fellow former president Clinton's shirt as a convenient hand cleanser.

Unsurprisingly, the incident (15 seconds into the video above) has caused much outrage and amusement in the more liberal parts of the internet. The political gossip site Wonkette was shocked (sarcastically): "AND JESUS CHRIST DID YOU SEE THAT DUBYA WIPED COLORED COOTIES ON CLINTON'S SHIRT, YUCK."

But a National Public Radio blog explained that even in the US, an aide with a bottle of hand sanitiser is never far away when public figures are glad-handing.

The Guardian - of all left-leaning news organisations - has leapt to Bush's defence, claiming the video was selectively slowed down and that he was merely tapping on Clinton's shoulder to hurry him up.

More likely, the shoulder tap was a cunning ruse to provide cover for a full cleansing wipe. ·