Posted on 11/13/2009 9:10:01 PM PST by STARWISE
Agreed. That is the external aspect, just as you describe.
STOP that! My GRANDSON’S SITTING HERE!!!
Bowing your head to some one who you revere as a man of God is not the same as bowing your entire body over and facing the ground in front of other poitical world leaders.
BUMP!!!!
Keep in mind he is trying to make this "normal" after he addressed the saud king.
Makes you feel warm and fuzzy doesn't it? God forbid but the weakness this "man" exibits may get us hit again. In fact I'm certain we will get hit again. In fact we did by Hasan.
A Japanese homeless person would not bow that low to the Emperor and his wife !
Who needs to master the bow while living in Japan? Its really not necessary these days.( Unless you hang around with really old fashioned codgers who have the power of life and death over you, LOL.)
But as you know, the degress of informality/formality on the Japanese social register are much more complex than in the West. These things matter at this level of diplomacy, as you imply.
It is either a failure of an ability to project the United States of America properly when behaving abroad as our national representative (i.e. he is too green or ignorant or embarrassed of the United States), OR it another phenomenon at work: it is something I have seen some stupid, ignorant F-O-B Americans and other foreigners who have never been Japan, (who are in very senior positions, awkwardly confused about how to bow) on their first visit here think they will put in an extra 25 degree angle for good measure, trying to outdo the Japanese, and they end up looking rather foolish--both to the Japanese themselves, and to long time observers in Japan who are foreigners and never go that "native" or overboard. The US Embassy here should have had this scripted for the POTUS on these fine points. Maybe they did and he disregarded them, or maybe struck with a sick sense of "client-itis", the State freaks who are a bunch of weenies by the way, on purpose suggested he make a fool of himself like this. Wait till the Chinese and the North Koreans get ahold of this picture.
If AmericanInTokyo had the privilege of meeting the Emperor (I did when he was Crown Prince) I would have conducted such a bow.
But. I am not President of the United States.
Others who have been around here might have a different take; I am afterall just one opinion.
Maybe he’s just used to being that “down low”.
Old habits die hard.
You and me both. Newt lost all credibility in my book.
Yes, this was genuine, very well done, a gesture of admiration and respect.
Perhaps BO thinks he's still in Indonesia or Kenya. How do Indonesians or Kenyans bow when greeting someone?
Personally I can not help but suspect that he did this intentionally.
There is a pattern developing with this loser. He likes to disgrace America. He seeks a more submissive and apoligetic America.
He is a disgrace to All Good People who respect and admire freedom and the American way.
(I expect impeachment and removal for high crimes and misdemeanors by a Republican Congress in 2011.)
It won't surprise me if Senator Obama does this in Beijing and would do it in Pyongyang before Kim Jong il. He is not behaving very "Presidential" I don't think even Bill Clinton did this. He is apparantly way out of his league if you want my honest opinion--he better grow out of it or we are going to continually be subjected to international embarrassment.
Nearly all of us here on FR are DISGUSTED with this man, but I am truly, truly trying to be knowledgeable, objective and authoritative on this one.
Brian Williams (NBC) bows to Obama
The bow is because the Saudi King and, now, the Emperor are shorter than Zero.
” If AmericanInTokyo had the privilege of meeting the Emperor (I did when he was Crown Prince) I would have conducted such a bow. “
Really ? I just showed this photo to my Japanese wife and she said there isn’t a Japanese person alive who would bow that low to the Emperor . I know I , as an American , would not .
I call it as I see it. If that is a problem for you I don't care. Pester someone else.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.