Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader was watching some of the Pope’s funeral and at one point he did wonder what was going to happen during the ritual exchange of the Sign of Peace.

Well, to your Maximum Leader’s surprise, everyone seemed to shake hands politely. So you had George W. Bush and Jacques Chirac shaking hands (and presumably saying the traditional “Peace be with you.”) Prince Chuck of Great Britain shook hands with Zimbabwean (Criminal) President Robert Mugabe. And the most reported of all, Israeli President Moshe Katsav shook hands with Syrian President Basher al-Assad AND Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.

All in all the moment was rather surprising. Surprising in a good way. A moment of civility amidst an eternity of antipathy.

Of course now everyone who hates everyone else is disavowing that the handshake was anything more than protocol. Ah well. There was a moment.

Carry on.