thank you El Casnova, intelligence is quite rare around here, A+.

 

then they are not showing him the proper respect which is then the fault of therer advisers so my theory is not to shit just peoples ignerance of other peoples cultures and traditions

 

I think this describes the situation perfectly.

 

The why did he not bow towards the Empress as well?

All he did was shake her hand and give her the head nod. If proper respect is to bow, then he failed there as well.

You cannot have it both ways, you either bow or you do not.

But in this case, Obama was wrong. And I have explained repeatedly how he was wrong, especially using proper Japanese etiquette.

I am surprised the Emperor did not tell Obama, "while you are down there".

 

now that would have been news

 

However, if he was trying to show respect he should have never put out his hand for a fucking hand shake. that is disrespectful, hand contact so he should have done it right. in my opinion he fucked up but i don't think it's say we as the USA are bowing to Japan. He intended to do something in a respectful manor but got it wrong. Bow yes, hand shake no!

 

What you haven't explained is how, in the larger scheme of things, is this any big deal?

Even if he fucked up, this is hardly a big deal. After 8 years of a president who embarrassed your country daily, why all the fuss?

 

To be fair, Obama has made enough gaffes in protocol, whether its the awkwardness of his bows or giving the British Royals a bunch of unplayable DVDs as an exchange gift, that I can't say I think its fair to blame him for any of this, when instead it would appear that the State Department (who as far as I know is responsible for briefing him and supplying him with materials) seems to be actively trying to screw him over. And gee, look who is SecState...

 

Let me highlight it for you, so you understand the big deal.

So by bowing so low to the Emperor, he is stating that he is lower than the Emperor, not the same. That is how it is a big deal. Obama is basically stating to him with the bow, that he is a more inferior leader than the Emperor.

 

Hell there was a furor because Michelle Obama touched the Queen. And personally I thought the Queen was very gracious about that.

 

Wow just pathetic...cnn has too much time on their hands..

 

Hell El Casanova President Obama should have hired you for a spin doctor over his bow. You came up with a better excuse for Nixon bowing than any of Obama's people did for his.

 

Hey, check this out.

Another defense for Michelle Obama, of course, is that she is not a subject of the Queen. (Australians, despite referendums attempting to turn themselves into a republic, still recognize the Queen as their head of state.) The First Lady of the United States is not required to curtsey before her or any other crowned head. In any case, the touch lasted just a second or two, and the Queen did not seem particularly perturbed — though she appeared slightly surprised as she drew away.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1888962,00.html
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So if the First Lady does not have to, the same could be said about the President.

 

I do not have video of Nixon, so I cannot tell from the picture if an actual bow was done. In the pic, it just looks like Nixon is bending over a little to be able to shake his hand, and you see his head nodded down.

The right way to do it. Now if you would find me video of that event, then I could tell you if it was a bow or not.

But with the evidence provided, the picture you showed, it does not seem like a bow.

Now compare that to Obama, and Obama is a full bow. Obama's head is way below the Emperor's head. Nixon's head is still above the Emperor's head.

 

Actually, I understand. I just don't understand why you are making it a big deal. A mistake was made, but in the bigger picture, it isn't a huge one. Obama isn't stating that at all, that is just your interpretation of a photo. It says more about your opinon of him than anything else.

As an outsider, it is fascinating to watch so many of you try to tear apart this man without giving him a chance.

 

This is not a personal opinion or my interpretation of the picture, it is how Japanese etiquette is done.

The person who bows lower, is considered inferior.

That is a fact, not an opinion or an interpretation.

 

I understand that, I even expressed that I thought he had probably made a mistake. I am more curious as to why you are unwilling to allow him to make a relatively harmless mistake.

With your words and tone, you seem to be implying that Obama was presenting himself as a lesser leader. Do you really believe this to be true?

 

What you consider to be a harmless mistake, to me is not harmless.

By bowing to the Emperor, he presented himself as a lesser leader and also acted as a subject of the Emperor.

I understand that it is a mistake, and everyone makes mistakes. Many government officials have made mistakes in the past, but there has to be a limit that after so many mistakes, the government can get at least one thing right.

 

We've also been told that Obama is this amazing, intelligent leader suave enough to fix every last mistake since Bush took office. Which leads to much disgruntlement when he repeatedly makes simple protocol mistakes that even if he doesn't know better, his advisers should. Especially since the woman nominally in charge of making sure he gets the support to not screw up did this for eight years herself. If the two of them can't figure out long established traditions and customs that they've already been exposed to, how can they be expected to tackle something more difficult? Small problems just end up leading to big doubts.

 

I think a big problem is that many of us find it embarrasing in general. It has many connotations, depending on your interpretation, but they range from being wrong and ignorant of the rest of the world, to implying inferiority, to kissing the rest of the world's ass and being too apologetic.

I generally support Obama, which means to say that I don't think he wants to make the US a socialist Muslim country, but I don't support this move by him. This is the second time he's pulled this stunt, too, which is also part of the problem.