The newest nonsense about Obama is that he bowed to the emperor of Japan. Oh, God. Can you believe the uproar over that. Cheney leads the charge. Americans, it appears, do not show any respect to foreign leaders but are shocked if they do not show respect to us.
To me, it was fine and in place for Obama to bow to the emperor; however, he bowed too deeply. Yes, in Japan how much you bow is tied on your position vis-a-vis the person to whom you are bowing. Obama bowed lower than the emperor, showing not only respect but acknowledging a position lower than the emperor, and that was a mistake. The fact that none of the talking heads on TV mention that aspect of the bow makes me think that Obama was poorly advised in the art of the bow.
Anyway, the criticism – the reasoning behind the criticism is wrong. If the criticism were in regard to the execution of the bow, it would be warranted.
