Political talk shows have played and replayed the moment from the second day of Obama’s week-long Asia tour, which set the blogosphere on fire and chat show tongues wagging.
“I don’t know why President Obama thought that was appropriate. Maybe he thought it would play well in Japan. But it’s not appropriate for an American president to bow to a foreign one,” said conservative pundit William Kristol speaking on the Fox News Sunday program, adding that the gesture bespoke a United States that has become weak and overly-deferential under Obama.
Another conservative voice, Bill Bennett, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program: “It’s ugly. I don’t want to see it.”
“We don’t defer to emperors. We don’t defer to kings or emperors. The president of the United States — this coupled with so many apologies from the United States — is just another thing,” said Bennett.
Some conservative critics juxtaposed the image of Obama with one of former US vice president Dick Cheney, who greeted the emperor in 2007 with a firm handshake but no bow.
“I’ll bet if you look at pictures of world leaders over 20 years meeting the emperor in Japan, they don’t bow,” Kristol said.
#55 Great argument pointing out the great change your spiritual leader has brought to the government. Kudos for pointing out he’s more of the same.
#58 ROTFLMAO Another idiot demagogues thinking that making repugs look bad will make his god look better. You have a bit of mud on your pants!
#60 You’re laughing at that ’cause your meds just kicked in. You’d be crying like a baby if you were able to see a bit of reality.
@ MikeR:
Is it polite to lie? WH lied when Obama bowed to the Saudi King! Now he bows again! My mom told me lying was NOT polite!
Some people have far too much time and far too little understanding of what is important in American politics today. What a bunch oif slack-jawed idiots. Debate aout diplomatic protocol some more, it’s f*cking hilarious.
This liberal also wishes we had a real president. One like Clinton who led the country to it’s highest level ever, to only be ruined by the slack jawed idiots who made the election of an Obama possible.
Obama just did it wrong. When you bow with respect, you shake your own hand. When you bow with a handshake, you are a character in the Michael Keaton comedy “Gung Ho”
THOSE….ARE RIBBONS OF SHAME!!