Obama Marine Salute Brews Online Flap

President Obama habitually salutes his Marine standing guard as he exits Marine One, the presidential helicopter. But on Tuesday the president offered a less-than-formal salute, with a coffee cup in his hand. The White House posted video of the brief scene from the president’s arrival in New York for the United Nations General Assembly summit. Some critics pounced on the awkward salute, and social media soon was weighing in on whether Obama’s casual gesture was disrespectful. The final tally is not yet in as to whether all this amounted to a tempest in a coffee cup. As a reference, then-President George W. Bush did an awkward salute with his dog in 2001.