The White House is saying no, but the video and still images coming out are pretty damning. It's pretty quick, like he wasn't thinking about it.
He better not have. Disgraceful if he did. He's bent over awfully low. The President should not bow to foreign heads of state. Please ignore the YouTube comments section ... a better link would be appreciated.
Haven't United States Presidents bowed to the Pope?
Didn't hear a uproar over this
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP...itroom.01.html
Why is it okay for the US President to bow to the Pope but not to the King of Saudi Arabia?Originally Posted by O'CONNELL
Last edited by Dirt; 04-08-2009 at 02:18 PM.
Who cares who the president bowed to? It's not like bowing is a gesture with any commonplace usage in American culture, so it would be a case of "when in Rome . . ."
Yeah, not showing respect to their leader would be an AWESOME way to kick off the proceedings!
Shaking hands is showing respect. Bowing is showing deference or fealty, in my mind. I'd shake a foreign leader's hand but personally I'd never bow to them.
Apparently Bush bowed to the Pope. Also wrong.
Japan (and most of asia) would like a word with you.
TEMPEST -> TEACUP
Notice King Abdullah did not bow back. Huge difference.
Obama is a bit too self-deprecating. Remember the first time he hopped on board Marine 1 and he shook the Marine's hand instead of saluted? Obama did the same with Odierno when he got off the plan in Iraq while the general was saluting him. I don't think Obama is comfortable with not being someone who treats those below him as equals and show greater respect to his equals than they show him.
Didn't Obama shake and bow his head slightly when he and his wife met with the Queen and Duke Phillips?
Oh well now that's over the line. I am shaking my fist in rage.
Definitely pretty weird. Probably just got confused about the proper protocol for various leaders. I mean, keeping what is appropriate or not for the 19 leaders he had to meet must be pretty tough. He might also have been a bit on edge about protocol after the small brouhaha about his wife touching the queen.
Apparently Bush bowed (even worse ... a deep bow where he put his hands on his legs).. lots of Presidents have.
Hopefully someone will stop this trend ... how disgraceful.
If you're referring to the picture I think you are, Bush was receiving a medal from King Abdullah.
Where is No Way Jose when a thread really needs him?
Really? I just read that and saw a still, did not see the clip.
Okay, I took a closer look at the picture. It's pretty obvious to me that Abdullah was showing something to Obama and Obama bent over to take a closer look; you can see the South Korean President and the President of France are all taking a look at whatever Obama is looking at; look at where their eyes are looking. Particularly obvious is the guy on the right of picture is leaning in as well. If Obama was actually bowing to Abdullah, the guy on the right would not be leaning in as well.
The president will bow to no one! He will destroy them from his giant metal mech!
Hi, kid. A bow? Megadittoes abound.
Winged kiddish boob automata
Databank boogied with sodium
Beanbag hooka outdid dimwits
Macartney had it right.
Damn, I wish he would have actually bowed and then got down on his feet and kissed the toes of the Saudi king. Then we could enjoy watching all of these people make even bigger asses of themselves.
What, start a race war by killing some actress then blaming it on black people?
I could not possibly fucking care less. Jesus, I wish this kind of scrutiny was going on early in Bush's first term.
This isn't something to get panties in a bunch over. But, this is a case where Obama screwed up. He's new, he's got to absorb a ton of protocol. But yeah, the President of the United States is not supposed to bow to foreign monarchs. Bush, Obama, whoever, you don't do it.
Or, to put it another way, the Saudi regime is like a government run by Fred Phelps. You might be forced to observe baseline diplomatic protocol, but you really don't want to go beyond that. Bowing in that cultural context, uh uh.
It's not the same deal or has the same connotations as in many common Asian protocols.
What's more surprising is that he didn't try to fist bump him.
Good to know the flag pin debate has some life in it.
Do you have to call it a terrorist fist jab if he's in Saudi Arabia? Or is that just implied?
The King of Saudi Arabia is not a terrorist! DUH!
It gets worse - now he is bowing and scraping to Roy Williams.
Disgraceful“The President offered Coach Williams his congratulations and thanked him and his team for vindicating him in front of the entire country. The President told him he’d done a great job and asked the Coach to tell the players how proud he was of them and that he looked forward to seeing them at the White House soon.”
The US head of state shouldn't bow to anyone. Obama messed up here, he won't do it again.
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