When President Obama bowed the Saudi King the left leapt to his defense and said he was actually bending over because he was so much taller than Abudllah.
The media is now reporting that he bowed when meeting Japanese Emperor Akihito. But it wasn’t just one bow. It was seven bows. Fact is, he was bobbing up and down like one of those old Happy Drinking Birds.
Look for Happy Drinking Bird to be promoted to the White House Office of Protocol.
This post was last modified on November 16, 2009
View Comments (12)
Here is a photo of a more dignified bow:
Here is ABC's Jake Tapper on the subject of Obama's 90 degree bow:
An old friend -- an academic with expertise about the Japanese Empire, and in general a supporter of President Obama -- sends me the following note, relating to photographs of President Obama bowing to Emperor Akihito of Japan.
"This picture shows two things," my friend writes.
"1) The 'right' is wrong about Obama's bow.
"2) The 'left' is wrong about Obama's bow.
"His bow is neither (1) unprecedented nor (2) a sign of cultural understanding.
"At their 1971 meeting in Alaska, the first visit of a Japanese Emperor to America, President Nixon bowed and referred to Emperor Hirohito and his wife repeatedly as 'Your Imperial Majesties.'"
(See that picture HERE.)
"Yet, (and?) Nixon gets the bow right. Slight arch from the waist hands at his side.
"Obama's handshake/forward lurch was so jarring and inappropriate it recalls Bush's back-rub of Merkel.
"Kyodo News is running his appropriate and reciprocated nod and shake with the Empress, certainly to show the president as dignified, and not in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs.
"The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms....The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part.
"BTW, Obama's bow at Suntory Hall was much better. Correct angle, slight bow. His hands were wrong but the physical tone was correct and appropriate.
"But if Obama can get the dollar to stop bowing to the Yen I take it all back."
Perhaps I should clarify my point.
In Japan, I believe, bowing does not indicate subservience. Rather, it indicates respect. I expect this went down quite well with the Japanese; whatever you think of Obama, foreign relations is certainly one of his strong points.
I fully expect that when Gordon Brown, Angela Merkel or Nicholas Sarkozy met the Emperor of Japan, they bowed. I hardly think this simple gesture indicates Obama was confessing inferiority to a japanese figurehead. I see some admirable if mildly overzealous comments regarding Americas independence, but there's being independent, then there's showing courtesy (and indeed, acknowledging that the needs of other countries are important as well, every so often at least, there has to be compromise.)
He even bowed to the ChiComs. What an embarressment.
Kris, my father is a WWII veteran who fought the Japanese in the Philippines and then went to Japan post war. He is pretty upset seeing the president of the country he put his life on the line for bowing to the Japanese leader, demonstrating subservience.
We fought a War of Independence to not have to bow to others.
Think about it.
We care because "Character does count." We want someone representing our country with courage, dignity, professionalism, experience and down-right manhood. I want a leader that stands up for his country and his people. Not one that apologizes for them to their enemies. Do you see other nations doing this? Did England? France? Any Middle East countries? Germany? All of them have past histories that they are ashamed of. Not one did this at any of the Summits. I am sure, as leaders, they were all embarrassed of his actions. We do care and should care. If you don't care you will end up with the rulers that you deserve.
Kris...perhaps you dont care, thats okay. But most concerned citizens shudder everytime Obama hops on AF1 and heads to a foreign country and then proceeds to prostrate himself in front of them. It just goes to show what he feels about America's place in this world. His actions are a metaphor for our national standing.
Now, I dont like Obama, he has done nothing to help me, my business, my family or my friends so when I see this I don't "care" so much as I chuckle inside because I know that the more he flounders and fumbles his way through the presidency, the more mollified and motivated his opposition is becoming.
So, Kris...I guess you're right, maybe we shouldnt care. He will be gone soon and it wont matter.
Why does anyone care about this?
i think BHO may be mistaking the japanese nod for a bow...
but wait, he is so worldly, he said so! so that means that he believes the emperor is his superior, and the empress is below him
oh lawd what is going on?
there was a movie on cinemax last night where a chick was doing that-I wonder if barry was watching the same thing I was?
OH GOD I CANT BREATHE!
Ask Larry Sinclair...