But both are considerably shorter than he is. MARTIN: Well, this isn't the first time - conservatives have complained that the president is too deferential to some foreign leaders, for example, that some criticize him for what they believed was bowing to Saudi King Abdullah and the former Chinese president Hu Jintao. And I do not believe President Obama could have avoided shaking hands with him, while everybody else is in line shaking hands, how could he possibly? And forgiveness was his theme, I think, throughout his life. JOHNSON: But this was a memorial for a man, for his legacy. I just wondered if you had any thoughts about that. MARTIN: Well, the Republican senator John McCain of Arizona likened it to shaking hands with Hitler. I think it would have been ridiculous if he had.

It just was not the diplomatic thing to do to refuse to shake his hand. I think it would've created even bigger outcry among people if he had. Some people say that that was just inappropriate given our relations with Cuba. So the first thing I wanted to take up was something that has gotten a lot of attention from political people - President Obama shaking hands with Raul Castro, the president of Cuba, when he was in the receiving line.

MARTIN: Now for decades, you've taught protocol to people at the highest levels of government, you know, as well as to other citizens who might be business leaders, for example, who might be traveling overseas. Thanks so much for joining us.ĭOROTHEA JOHNSON: Well, thank you so much for having me, Michel. So we called upon Dorothea Johnson, the founder of the Protocol School of Washington, to find out. We wondered about this uproar, whether it's making an impact in etiquette circles. President Obama came under heavy criticism in this country for shaking the hand of Cuban President Raul Castro - Fidel Castro's brother - at the event and also for posing for a selfie with other dignitaries.

Now what caught the attention of many Americans, aside from the poignant remarks, were the selfies and the handshakes. World leaders gathered there to pay their respects to the late South African leader Nelson Mandela. First though, we want to talk about the memorial service in Johannesburg earlier this week. We'll talk about what that means for the LGBT community there, but also the reaction the ruling has gotten in the country on the whole.

In a few minutes, we'll go to India where the Supreme Court reinstated a ban on gay sex - actually, what it called unnatural acts. We want to take up some noteworthy international news now. I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News.

Modern manners by dorothea johnson