--- title: Awkward Political Kiss Photos description: Running for office is more than just shaking hands and kissing babies... canonical: https://time.com/3754442/pucker-up-15-awkward-political-kisses/ author: TIME Photo article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-23T20:22:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:04:55.529Z article:section: Politics og:title: Pucker Up: 15 Awkward Political Kisses og:description: Running for office is more than just shaking hands and kissing babies... og:url: https://time.com/3754442/pucker-up-15-awkward-political-kisses/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fa856bbd941db54/698784c22dce010d679de291/awkward-political-kisses-bush-oprah.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1992 og:image:height: 1121 og:image:alt: George W. Bush, Oprah og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Pucker Up: 15 Awkward Political Kisses twitter:description: Running for office is more than just shaking hands and kissing babies... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1fa856bbd941db54/698784c22dce010d679de291/awkward-political-kisses-bush-oprah.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Pucker Up: 15 Awkward Political Kisses > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Mar 23, 2015 8:22 PM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush kisses talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Sept. 19, 2000 after appearing on her program in Chicago. Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush kisses talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Sept. 19, 2000 after appearing on her program in Chicago. Wilfredo Lee—AP by [TIME Photo](https://time.com/author/time-photo/) ## TIME Photo Mar 23, 2015 8:22 PM UTC  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz kisses his wife before walking onstage to speak at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., to announce his presidential candidacy on March 23. Mark Wilson—Getty Images  President Barack Obama gives German Chancellor Angela Merkel a kiss on the cheek on arrival for the G8 Summit on May 18, 2012 at Camp David, Md. Charles Dharapak—AP  Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry kisses his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry at a victory rally after the U.S. senator from Massachusetts was projected the winner in the Wisconsin primary Feb. 17, 2004 in Madison, Wisc. Chris Hondros—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry kisses his wife Anita at the end of a news conference at Hyatt Place, Jan. 19, 2012 in North Charleston, S.C. Allison Joyce—Getty Images  Former Vice President Al Gore is kissed by his wife Tipper, after addressing the delegates at the Democratic National Convention on July 26, 2004, in Boston. Ron Edmonds—AP  (L-R) Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, kisses his wife, Ann Romney, in front of Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and wife, Janna Ryan, on stage after conceding the presidency during Mitt Romney's campaign election night event at the Boston Convention—Exhibition Center on Nov. 7, 2012 in Boston. Matthew Cavanaugh—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush kisses talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Sept. 19, 2000 after appearing on her program in Chicago. Wilfredo Lee—AP  US President Barack Obama kisses US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after his speech about health care reform before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 9, 2009. Jason Reed—AFP/Getty Images  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich kisses his wife Callista after a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, N.H. on Jan. 8, 2012. Charles Krupa—AP  French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, kisses goodbye to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the steps of the Elysee palace after their meeting on Jan. 29, 2010 in Paris. Christophe Ena—AP  Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gets a kiss from his wife Ann during his election night rally on Nov. 7, 2012, in Boston. David Goldman—AP  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg kisses Muppet Miss Piggy as Kermit the Frog looks on during a news conference on April 13, 2012 in New York City. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Former President George W. Bush, right, kisses former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the ground breaking ceremony for the President George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Nov. 16, 2010. LM Otero—AP  Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum kisses his wife Karen before speaking to supporters at an election-night party in the gymnasium of Steubenville High School in Steubenville, Ohio on March 6, 2012. Gene J. Puskar—AP  US President George W. Bush is greeted by one of his dogs after arriving from giving the commencement speech at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, aboard Marine One on the south lawn of the White House in Washington on May, 21, 2005. 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