An American President should Bow to No One.

[GeorgeHill]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/11/obama-emperor-akihito-japan.html

Stop it, Mr. President.  Just Stop It.

[CameronS]

I lived in Japan for four years, and during that time I picked up a little about their culture. To them, a bow is like a handshake. The Japanese keep their back straight and bow slightly to each other in situations where we would just shake hands, and no one thinks twice of it. HOWEVER, the American president shouldn't bow to anyone in any situation, and he definitely shouldn't do a groveling, flop-over-90-degrees-at-the-waist bow like that.
He should have let the emperor bow and then stuck out his hand for a handshake. He should not have bowed like that. He just shouldn't have. 

[GeorgeHill]

He is certainly not an Alpha Dog in the World Community.  He's a Chi-wa-wa with a Spiked Collar.

[Daylight]

Remember how well shaking hands worked out for him?  Does someone remember a link to the video of him in a receiving line with other heads of state, where he kept sticking his hand out and getting snubbed by everyone?

It is hard to believe he is just a boob.  I begin to wonder if he is actually trying to dishonor and demean his office.

[Canthros]

1. Possibly (unlikely, but), he's just poorly acquainted or briefed on protocol. If so, he needs a new protocol adviser or czar or whatever.
2. Perhaps he did a lot of brown-nosing on the way to the top and the habit is now ingrained?
3. Possibly, he is intentionally being obsequious, probably to show how much "the US" has "changed". If so, that seems very naïve.

I honestly can't think of an interpretation that reflects well on Obama or his administration about this sort of thing. At best, it seems stupid or inept. At worst, it seems malicious and inept. 

[LoneStarNational]

I've got no issue with the concept of a bow in itself, provided it is in the sense of a handshake.  As in, Obama gives the Emperor a little dip of a bow, and the Emperor gives one right back.  If it's mutual, there's no problem.  Just like handshaking is a mutual gesture.  Just because a bow signifies subservience in our culture doesn't meant it has to signify subservience in all cultures.

The problem here is the single-directionality of this gesture.  Obama bows to the Emperor, and that's it.  When it's one way, it can only signify subservience.  When the bow is one way, it reaffirms the idea that royalty is inherently superior to non-royalty, no matter how powerful, right, or good the non-royalty may be.  There is no room for that idea in the world anymore.  

In the modern world, presidents, prime ministers, and royalty all represent national leaders, and as such, they are peers.  And as a peer to the Emperor, Obama needs to demand a bow just as much an Emperor does, if that's the custom of the culture.  If a royal leader is uncomfortable with that, then yeah... they all need to stick with the handshake.

[FMJ]

Fail.


Like Cantrhos said, don't they hire a guy that researches other cultures and norms to inform the president about them? 

[tokugawa]

He is begging the Japanese not to cash in thier T-Bills, guys.  I am surprised he is not on the floor, with the Deed to the Hawiian Islands in his hand.

[GeorgeHill]

Crude Humor Ahead Warning:

In an email it said "What if sexual acts are like Handshakes in China?"

[Canthros]

Seems like that would make for the closest US-Chinese diplomatic relations since the Clinton administration, George. 

[LoneStarNational]

Removed reference to deleted post - JesseL

I get it, he's in Japan, so you bow.  But this is more than an "I'm in Japan" bow.  This is an "I'm addressing royalty bow".  If it was just a Japanese bow, that'd be cool.  But not the royalty thing.  The American President shouldn't have to bow to royalty.  I ask this question:

If the Queen of England met the Emperor of Japan, who bows to who?

The answer is probably that neither would bow to either, or they would exchange a mutual "handshake bow".  This is because they would view each other as peers.

I submit that the idea of royalty having a God given level of superiority is dead.  They have no value "just because their blood is royal".  They have value because they are a Head of State.  The President is a Head of State, and as such, he is their full and equal peer.  We could have made him a king, but we decided to go with president instead.  That does not diminish the fact that he is our highest national leader.  Therefore, royalty owes the U.S. President a bow every bit as much as a President owes royalty a bow.  Or, we could make it simple, and ditch the bow and shake hands.  There is no insult by foregoing acts of submission because they are peers, and peers by definition do not engage in submissive/dominant role-making.

EDIT:  I totally didn't realize while I was writing how much this is the exact same thing I said earlier.  Oh well, you guys can deal

[Avenger29]

Fail.


Like Cantrhos said, don't they hire a guy that researches other cultures and norms to inform the president about them?  

They probably filled that position with one of their commie loser buddies that needed a job rather than actually hire someone who knew what the heck they were doing.

Oh, and there's no teleprompter to show the way on how to greet/interact with others, so he's at a complete loss.


^^^^best political cartoon ever.


(just treating the leftists how they treated Bush, and I'm being rather restrained)

[Pat-inCO]

Stop it, Mr. President.  Just Stop It.

Gee whiz George, I thought we ceased having a "President" on January 20th.

In stead, we have some guy keeping the seat warm and converting the US to Socialism.   

[FMJ]

IIRC, I don't really know anything about Bush involvement in SA, but it is apparently a custom for men to hold hands there--yes, at weird as it sounds.

[GeorgeHill]

Gee whiz George, I thought we ceased having a "President" on January 20th.

In stead, we have some guy keeping the seat warm and converting the US to Socialism.   

Like it or not... He is our President.  And no - I don't like it.  Not one damn bit.  But he's the one we have.  And because of that he's our point man that the rest of the world sees.   I dont want anything to happen to him... I don't want him looking submissive to the rest of the planet... I want him to look sharp, sound smart when he has to speak, and then really quiet like - go away after our next elections.  But for the time being - Please Please Please, I want him to stop making a fool of himself.  
Notice, the Japanese are not Bowing in Return?  There is a reason for that.
 

[GeorgeHill]

The holding hand thing.   Okay, let's look at that.  Who did Bush hold hands with?   Someone who would otherwise order your head to be chopped off for touching him.  Saudi Royalty - infidels don't touch him.  Yet he held Bush's hand.  Because Bush was an EQUAL.  They Respected Bush.  Maybe not liked him... but they respected him.   Against Cultural, Religious tradition - Saudi Royalty held hands with President Bush.   Now President Obama BOWS to them.  Now President Obama BOWS to Japan.  WTF?

[FMJ]

The holding hand thing.   Okay, let's look at that.  Who did Bush hold hands with?   Someone who would otherwise order your head to be chopped off for touching him.  Saudi Royalty - infidels don't touch him.  Yet he held Bush's hand.  Because Bush was an EQUAL.  They Respected Bush.  Maybe not liked him... but they respected him.   Against Cultural, Religious tradition - Saudi Royalty held hands with President Bush.   Now President Obama BOWS to them.  Now President Obama BOWS to Japan.  WTF?

Wow.  I never realized the implications and the difference of the current president just bowing instead.  Wow.

[moose42]

When you bow to anyone you are saying "I am less than you." or "I serve you."



... no further comments required.

[GeorgeHill]

From our friend Stig in Norway:

Hi George,

Sorry but is this the leader of the free world?
Even liberal media in socialist Norway is laughing.

http://www.vg.no/drfront/images/front-25-image-cffb0696.jpeg?b79750a7f612f1d7954105701a46f6b3
it says that "obama must almsot bend twice over"
http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/artikkel.php?artid=598819

STIG:)

[FMJ]

The Stig is a Norge?  If he were Scandinavian, I figured he'd be Finnish...

[GeorgeHill]

The Stig is a Norge?  If he were Scandinavian, I figured he'd be Finnish...

[Precious Roy]

He is begging the Japanese not to cash in thier T-Bills, guys.  I am surprised he is not on the floor, with the Deed to the Hawiian Islands in his hand.

I'd be all for that.  Wonder what kind of price we could get the the Hawaiian Islands?

[huey148]

I dunno, maybe he's just checking out the guys shoes.....

[JKimball]

I liked how the article referenced contrasted the Obama bow with Cheney's handshake.  Ironically, I'm willing to bet that Cheney has much more respect for the emperor than Obama does.

I like the way George put it back in July:

Our President, the Commander and Chief of US Forces, should bow to no one. He should walk into a meeting 10 feet tall wearing shiny gold plated armor carrying a Red White and Blue shield in one hand and a freaking broad sword in the other... The Saudis should have bowed to him. Instead, we had Grima Wormtongue.

[coyotesfan97]

Here's a Youtube video posted on Breitbart.  Has a compilation of 46 Officials meeting the Emperor.  Not one of them bowed including the Admiral of the US Pacific Command.  Only Uhbama bowed. 

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/5U6fL7Y4BZA&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D18&amp;rel=0&amp;fs=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/5U6fL7Y4BZA&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D18&amp;rel=0&amp;fs=1</a>