Bowing Out: Someone Needs To Teach Obama Protocol
I will never forget how the White House tried to spin President Obama’s bow to the Saudi King.
“Well, it wasn’t really a BOW, you know…” was the jist of what we were told.
Now the President is seen (and caught on video) CLEARLY bowing to the Emperor of Japan on his visit to Asia.
There was NO mistaking it this time. It was not debatable. It was not the instant replay equivalent of debating whether the player was inbounds or out of bounds.
The President of the United States of America bowed to the Emperor of Japan. If he had bowed any more severely, he would have literally tipped over into the Emperor himself.
This is not a matter of respect. As a collage you can find on my Listener Club (club.foxacrossamerica.com) page demonstrates, world and domestic leaders greet the Emperor all the time. And none of them BOW the way Obama did. Actually, a handshake is more than sufficient.
Former President Bill Clinton was ridiculed even in the New York Times for his attempted bow to the Japanese Emperor. Unfortunately for him, he was not the Chosen One.
There is NO EXCUSE for this BLUNDER. The American President does not bow to royalty. This is just a messy and ridiculously preventable embarrassment.
But then, it was Michelle Obama who was casually patting the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Rule: You don’t touch the Queen like you would company coming over for the football game and cookout.
And we know from experience that the President is not opposed to more casual handshaking.
Who could forget that all too casual, basketball buddies handshake he gave dictator Hugo Chavez?
Someone needs to teach Obama protocol to prevent the next train wreck.