Nov 17 2009
On President Obama’s Bow to the Japanese Emperor, An Academic Friend Writes That Both the Left and the Right Are Wrong – Political Punch
This from the article:
“The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms….The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part.
“BTW, Obama’s bow at Suntory Hall was much better. Correct angle, slight bow. His hands were wrong but the physical tone was correct and appropriate.
Sure. I agree. Someone buy the President one of those “Doing business in… ” books. The idea of the Japanese bow is that among equals you bow only slightly as a show of respect, not deeply as a sign of humility. That said – I’ve read where “Slight bow” means to an equal height… and given the obvious height differences between the president and the emperor… that could have caused some confusion.
Still – we’re a year past the election, almost a year into the presidency, and basic protocols, the kind you can buy info on from Barnes and Noble, are lacking. Whoever is the protocols overseer is overdue for a performance review…
QT
