I don't understand... This is a problem? I'm confused.
He DENIES it?
It's like the Bush administration is back: lying about the obvious.
Don't they know there are videos of this all over the internet that people can seek out? How brazen can they be?
It's a problem in that a bow like that is clearly an show of submission, and the President shouldn't submit to any foreign leader. Basically, he bowed for the king, there was backlash, and so Washington is trying to say that he wasn't actually bowing, but the video taken clearly shows that he was. Obama being taller than the Saudi king has nothing to do with it.
I still don't see why bowing is so bad...
I would have bowed. Kings are pretty badass. Some of England's kings were pretty progressive in realizing that government is not greater than the sum of its people said:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charter_of_Liberties[/url]
Are you insane? 233 years of giving the figurative finger to monarchy worldwide, and you "...don't see why bowing is so bad?"
It was just a gesture to present himself politely. It's not like he's cuffing himself in chains and handing them to the king.
"Polite" is a greeting, a bow is sign of subservience and isn't required of anybody but subjects.
Edit: As a private citizen, if a king (or queen) told me to bow, I'd flip him off and tell him to put it where the sun don't shine, let alone if I was POTUS, and I try to be a gentleman. My distaste of tyranny outweighs my like of gentlemanly behavior.
White House FAIL
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Well, I'll be honest in saying that I don't know how the greeting of many cultures are. I often see Japanese people bowing down to each other, and I don't think they're trying to show themselves as being submissive. Perhaps I'm missing the context here, but I never saw bowing as, how I'm see you guys point it out, handing your balls over. Oh well.
It isn't when you do it as a mutual greeting, but that isn't a typical Western of Mid-Eastern greeting. I have bowed before, I have no problem with the act of bowing in and of itself. In fact, I probably bow more often than most since I try to be a gentleman at all times, but to do it to a foreign monarch because they are a foreign monarch is outrageous.
I can see why you're angry, but I'm still just not really outraged. I guess it's mainly because it seems pointless to care about these little things that mean nothing in the end.
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Oh yeah, he was just clasping his hand...while licking his boots.
It isn't that I'm worked up over this, I was worked up a long time ago, this is just something new to add to the list of grievances.
It's obvious that Obama was bending over to get a better look at the Saudi king's ring and wristwatch.![]()
Right, because bowing down to some idiot is just as bad as making and spending trillions.
Well, I'll be honest in saying that I don't know how the greeting of many cultures are. I often see Japanese people bowing down to each other, and I don't think they're trying to show themselves as being submissive. Perhaps I'm missing the context here, but I never saw bowing as, how I'm see you guys point it out, handing your balls over. Oh well.