printNot the Queen of Sweden, not Dick Cheney, not Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic, not the President of Indonesia, not Hamid Karzai, and not the King of Thailand. Mo # VI (King of Morocco) resisted the urge, Vladimir Putin did, as did the Chiracs of France; the President of Algeria, King Kyrgyzstand, and Vincente Fox: They all managed to remain erect on meeting the heavenly Japanese Emperor Akihito. All but Obama, who collapsed like an awe-struck yogi.
Some of these You tubers are spot on, I wonder how You tube is going to shape the political future ?
Is there any footage of Douglas MacArthur bowing to Hirohito?
Another one ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx3IlHuF1KE&feature=player_embedded
Actually, I don’t have a serious problem with this. Did the Emperor bow back?
Still, Obama seems to have overdone it. A 90 degree bow is excessive unless prompted by the highest respect. What would Obama do if he met someone who truly deserved the highest respect?
Royalty, in general, are much less deserving of respect than commoners who may have had to overcome extreme obstacles for the sake of their families and others:
Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” Luke 13:30
What a schmuck! How much longer do we have to put up with him?
If anyone knows the importance of ‘The Bow’ it is Japan. They make sure to teach it to department store employees to let the customer know how respected he is by bowing to him/her. The lesser always bows deeper than the superior. President Obama showed submission of the U.S. to Japan in one photo shoot. Every wrong GWB did, Obama has compounded. Obama’s stimulus was bigger than Bushes, Barry increased troops in Afghanistan, George Bush was stupid enough to turn his back on Japanese Christians to attend a Shinto Temple, Barry has to show himself be a servant to the Emperor of Japan, the representative of the Shinto god. The last two presidents ought to sue the producers of the movies “Dumb and Dumber” for taking their title.
Of course, when Mr. Obama gets done “stimulating” the economy and debauching the currency even more, it will be the American people doing the bending over.
Obama is constantly thumbing his nose at America. The message is meant for foreign consumption as well as for the left back home.
of course the real problem is that when obama bowed the way he did, he took his eye off his opponent.
bruce lee would have sternly admonished him with a swift pop to his head.
Among the more absurd sentiments parroted by the mainstream press is that Obama’s popularity abroad will work to the benefit of American foreign policy. No matter how low he bows, the Japanese elected a government that campaigned on making Japan more independent of The United States. Who can blame them? Who wants to be a satellite state of any great power no matter how benevolent that power claims to be?
I find his bow to the Saudi King much more offensive. At least the Japanese don’t sponsor terrorists.
[Bush strolling hand-in-hand with the King has been conveniently forgotten by Republicans.]
Political protocol 101: Heads of State are equals. As such, no president bows to another head of state, whether he is royal or not. The only exception is when a slight bow takes the place of a normal handshake in far eastern cultures. In Obama’s case, a slight, reciprocal bow would have been fine. The full, unreciprocated bow was a breach of etiquette.
It was sad to see the cool, polished Obama unmasked as an oaf. How embarassing.