Obama “speechless” over reaction to Emperor Akihito bow

obowmaO-Bow-Ma may be speechless for the first time in his life. Speechless at the fact people don’t appreciate his now second bow to some forgien leader (the first of course was to muslim Saudi King Abdullah). Obama’s bow to Japan’s Emperor Akihito in Tokyo earlier this month ignited anger from as CBS calls “some conservatives”, though I’m willing to bet a small amount of Democrats and a sizable number of Independents didn’t like it either. Someone also needs to tell his majesty (Obama, not Akihito) that no American President bows to anyone. How quickly lib networks like CBS forget back in 1994 when Bill Cinton was slammed by the New York Times for “almost” bowing to the same Akihito. The Atlantic, yet another far left biased site quotes “a US government official who was on the trip” who says the president was left “speechless” by the controversy.

“Obama’s attitude was, this is an elderly gentleman in a country where this kind of greeting is customary,” said the official. “It does not seem extraordinary to show this kind of gesture to him.”

“The Fox News poll said that 67 percent of Americans thought [the bow] was a good thing for him to have done,” the official continued. “When the president heard that some people had complained, I’d characterize his reaction as: The notion that the United States is somehow humbling or humiliating itself by showing respect for a local custom, when it is transparently the most powerful country in the world, leaves me speechless.”

As criticism of the president for the bow bubbled up, media outlets noted that anger over what some see as excessive presidential deference to a foreign leader is nothing new. President George W. Bush was criticized for holding the hand of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, while Presidents Clinton and Nixon took heat for bows or near-bows to the Japanese emperor. Mr. Obama has also been criticized for genuflecting to Abdullah.

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November 23, 2009 · Filed Under General Politics


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