According to this cite, Obama blew it by bowing while simultaneously shaking hands. The author says this is a faux pas in Japanese ettiquette and is evident in Akihito’s polite smile of embarrassment.
I have no idea if this is correct or not, but if so I can’t believe that after giving U.K.'s brown a gift of CDs, bowing to the King of Saudi Arabia, and Michelle patting the Queen of England on the back, Obama still doesn’t have someone looking into the proper protocol for visiting heads of state.
I wonder if it’s possible to safely assess the competence of a president by gauging the validity of the criticisms leveled against him. Probably not. But if so, Obama is an outstanding president, because this criticism is fucking stupid.
How you imagine an American president should behave isn’t important. What’s important is the result. This president has the respect of the other leaders of the world–pretty universally, as far as I can tell. That’s the result. So, I’m guessing his judgment is more effective that your “protocol.”
Goddamn, it’s nice having an adult president. Maybe we’ll have an adult electorate someday.
Who the fuck gives a shit? A courteous person bows. A courteous person doesn’t mind indulging in pointless but harmless traditions. Only a dipshit makes a big deal of this.
The right wing has so little to bitch about nowadays. This is desperation. I doubt he will run around holding hands with Saudi oil sheiks. That would be interesting. This is not.
What do you care if the President wants to bow or not? It doesn’t change anything legally about the power dynamic. It’s just a sign of respect and gives him good face with people who like to be bowed to.
But he was elected king - that seems kind of lame. You have to be born to it, or strangle the previous king on his throne and take the crown for your own to really get some respect.
