Do the Saudis exercise mind-control over our Presidents? I remember GWB holding hands with his BFF and thinking, “I could not get myself to hold my brother’s hands like that, how can you hold the hands of some stranger?”
The only one I hold hands like that are my wife.
And were I President, I sure as heck would NEVER bow down to ANYONE.
No... he just dropped his soap.
In my case, as President, (or as a senior business person) I would have offered a tempered, measured, slight head-bow (not full body 土下座 or anything ridiculous like that), maybe head down a few degrees out of good-will, and accompanied by a male, non-metrosexual FIRM, extended Middle-East handshake, and if I had known him from previous summits, may even have given a Latin type "abrazo" (two hugs), but nothing more.
This is common in international manners for business; I am not convinced it is good at the Presidential level, though--it is his option.
And, one thing is for sure, Obama might have thought he was going local and gaining respect, but in fact, it appears in retrospect he committed a faux paus with the King with his recent actions. Were he or is State Department entorage aware of THIS (below), they might have tempered his sycophantic behavior:
"Don't kiss my hand," Saudi king tells citizens 11/09/2005 RIYADH (Reuters)-Saudi Arabia's new King Abdullah has ordered citizens not to kiss his hand, saying the traditional gesture of respect is degrading and violates Islam, Saudi newspapers reported on Sunday. "Kissing hands is alien to our values and morals, and is not accepted by free and noble souls," Abdullah told a delegation from Al-Baha, in southwest Saudi Arabia, who came to the royal palace to offer congratulations on his accession. "It also leads to bowing, which is a violation of God's law. The faithful bow to no one but God." Abdullah became king on August 1 after the death of King Fahd. Thousands of Saudis flocked to pledge allegiance to him in the days that followed, many kissing him on the shoulder or stooping to kiss his hand in a sign of respect and loyalty. But the king, who has a reputation for modesty in a family better known for opulence and power, said only a father or mother deserved such deference. "I announce my complete rejection of this matter, and I ask everyone to restrain from kissing the hands of anyone but their parents," the monarch said."
Maybe Freepers in Saudi can sign on here and give us some local insight. We have people from all over the world. Looking at it from some different perspectives, and some savvy cultural position, might make some sense. It intially does seem that Obama had gone a little bit overboard in his enthusiasm and excitement. Hey, everyone goes overboard a little bit. Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi was acting very American when he visited Bush, tossing an American baseball around, hugging in an American sense, belting out some Elvis tunes, etc....stuff he would never do back home in a Japanese context. At the end of the day, it is a curious news story, but it might not be that big of a deal. I will defer to freepers in Saudi on this one.
Actually, if he’d bowed, and then admitted that’s what he was doing, I would have had more respect for him. This bit about bowing, and then denying that he bowed makes him a joke.
Sean Hannity had the video on his show tonight. He absolutely bowed to the Saudi king. This is a total disgrace and spits on our forefathers who fought and gave their lives one way or another so NO AMERICAN should ever have to bow to a king. There is NO excuse for this. If he is so ignorant that he can’t see how this makes him seem subservient and weak he is too stupid to be our president. If he knows this and does it anyway, what does that signify? He is either ignorant and stupid or has allegiances that do not bode well for our nation. Wonder which one it is?
I think the best remark I have read so far is “Why didn’t the Saudi King also bow?”.......
What do you expect from a person who doesn’t have the slightest idea of what America is truly all about?
Skip to comments.BOWelGate: Obama Shaking hands with shorter People - a story in pics
PA Times | 4/9/09 | Pissant
Posted on 04/09/2009 10:44:21 AM PDT by pissant
Well, now lets see here....
