The press is running to the defense of Barack HUSSEIN Obama (mmm, mmm, mmm) over his bow to Japan’s emperor. Of course, we expected that since we know the media is like a hemorrhoid and it hangs around an asshole.
And hanging around they are:
A senior administration official said President Barack Obama was simply observing protocol when he bowed to Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko upon arriving at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Saturday.
“I think that those who try to politicize those things are just way, way, way off base,” the official said. “He observes protocol. But I don’t think anybody who was in Japan – who saw his speech and the reaction to it, certainly those who witnesses his bilateral meetings there – would say anything other than that he enhanced both the position and the status of the U.S.
Yeah, you made us laughing stock, you ignorant POS.
Some are excusing it by saying Nixon did a bow, too!
Well, guess what else Nixon did?
H/T: SondraK
Read NY Times’ take:
They defend it and compare it to when Clinton did the same thing. Read about how they covered the Emperor’s visit to Washington in 1994:
With the imperial visit last week, official Washington was clearly determined to show that it knew well what courtesies should be showered on the 175th inheritor of the most formal throne on earth.
Guests invited to a white-tie state dinner at the White House (a Clinton Administration first) were instructed to address the Emperor as “Your Majesty,” not “Your Highness” or, worse, “King.” And in what one Administration aide called “some emperor thing,” an Army general was cautioned that he should not address the Emperor Akihito at all as he escorted him to the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.
But the “thou need not bow” commandment from the State Department’s protocol office maintained a constancy of more than 200 years. Administration officials scurried to insist that the eager-to-please President had not really done the unthinkable.
“It was not a bow-bow, if you know what I mean,” said Ambassador Molly Raiser, the chief of protocol.
White House officials described Mr. Clinton’s tilt as something of an improvisation. Because Emperor Akihito broke with tradition in turn to raise his glass at the state dinner, some even said Mr. Clinton had managed something of a breakthrough.
“Presidents don’t bow, and Emperors don’t toast,” one official said. “So this was a little bit like the cultures meeting each other halfway.”
Now, let’s compare how everyone else greets the guy whose country was hellbent on killing us all:
Obama embarrasses me and is a disgrace. How history can write anything positive about this ungrateful ingrate POS is beyond me.
At Maggie’s, Bruce Kesler sums up entries by 2 prominent bloggers who say Obama is an idiot.
John Hinderaker at PowerLine wonders, “One seriously hesitates to draw the conclusion that Barack Obama is an idiot, no matter how strongly the evidence may point in that direction. But what are we to make of a man who is ignorant of history; who is ignorant of economics; who despises his own country; and who appears to believe that awareness of his own wonderfulness is enough to guide him? Has such a fool ever played a leading role on the world stage? I think it is fair to say, no: not until now.”
At HotAir, Allahpundit’s headline is, “Japan expert to ABC: Yes, Obama’s bow made him look like an idiot.” The post continues: “So much of an idiot, in fact, that according to Tapper’s source, at least one Japanese paper isn’t running the photo out of embarrassment. This tool actually groveled himself into a minor international incident.” Then, adds: “And yet, having said that, I’m not convinced that the “groveling” explanation for the bow is necessarily the correct one. For one thing, his protocol office is famously run by imbeciles. They may very well have simply given him bum advice: ‘Be sure to hunch way the hell over and stare at the ground. They all do it that way.’ ” Though, they don’t all do it that way. Jim Hoft, at GatewayPundit, brings us the video, “47 World Leaders – 46 Handshakes – 1 Bow.”
My God. Even Japanese papers are refusing to run the picture because it makes Obama look like a fool.
“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.
What more can you expect from this clown and his wookie wife, anyway?
H/T: Day by Day
Greta sums it up pretty nicely.
Even Google gets it right (like a broken clock, I guess, it has to be right once in a while)
Last, but not least, a picture of what a REAL AMERICAN PRESIDENT does in the presence of an emperor:
H/T: THEO
I always bow my head when I speak to a Japanese man who is my senior; Is that wrong? I dislike everything significant about our President and think he overdid it bowing so low but think with Japan it is not so bad. Bowing before the Sheethead still bothers me a lot more.
Jim I am no expert on Japanese culture but I agree a bow of the head is common courtesy. Bowing from the waist is tantamount to grovelling. Though like you it bothers me far more that the clown bows before “our friends” the Saudis.
A bow at the waste is a sign of submission. A bow of the head is a sign of acknowledgment.
Obama is going to be meeting the Chinese Premier pretty soon. Any bets if he’s going to bow?
No. He won’t. He’ll just drop all pretense and fall to his knees immediately and begin gobbling.
Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many countries and distinctively in Europe. Sometimes the gesture may be limited to lowering the head. It is especially prominent in China, Korea, India, and Japan where it may be executed standing or kneeling. Bowing is considered extremely important in Japan, so much so that, although children normally begin learning how to bow from a very young age, companies commonly provide training to their employees in how to execute bows correctly. Basic bows are performed with the back straight and the hands at the sides (boys and men) or clasped in the lap (girls and women), and with the eyes down. Bows originate at the waist. Generally, the longer and deeper the bow, the stronger the emotion and the respect expressed. When dealing with non-Japanese people, many Japanese will shake hands. So by bowing before the Emperor, he showed a little respect. What is the harm of a world leader showing another world leader some respect. That’s better than Bush Sr vomiting on the Prime Minister of Japan.
Americans don’t bow to anyone! Shake hands? Sure. Nod the head? Sure.
Bow? Never!
Don’t like it? Move to Japan and bow your ass off showing your “respect.”
Looks kind of like the emperor is doing just a bit of a bow to Reagan. I actually ran into Reagan once. I mean almost literally. He was on campus in 78 for a speech and I a friend and I were coming out a door that Reagan was coming in. I didn’t see him because of the bushes. There were these three huge guys in black suits, Reagan flanked by his security. All I can say is I never realized just how physically imposing he was with wide shoulders standing about 6’1″. So I can see why the emperor may have been just a little intimidated by his presence.