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November 16, 2009

'A new international standard in self-abasement'

Topics: Political News and commentaries

Jules Crittenden on Obambi's embarrassing (to the U.S. - Obambi's too oblivious to care) "full dork-drop" to Mr. and Mrs. Akihito: "Obama clearly sets a new international standard in self-abasement before their imperial majesties."

It was sufficiently inappropriate that even the usually Obama-phylic L.A. Times called it a "wow bow" and asked just how low will the new American president go for the world's royalty -noting that in Japan, very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference to a superior.

As Ed Morrissey and this slide show point out, "heads of state do not bow and show obeisance to one another, regardless of whether either one is an American President."

And as Jake Tapper's friend noted about our Groveler-in-chief:

"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."

Jennifer Rubin aptly sums up Obama's inappropriateness as being indicative of his disingenuous and incompetent foreign policy:

{...} Without getting too carried away, this incident is a neat little example of Obama's foreign-policy blunder-fest. First, the arrogance -- he lived abroad, don't you know. He "gets" other cultures. Second, the ignorance -- no, he doesn't. He should not have done this, both because it is an affront to American dignity (we have not submitted to monarchs since 1776) and because it conveys the wrong message to the Japanese. Third, Obama's natural inclination is groveling, ingratiating, and general suck-uppery. He seems to believe that, rather than an erect projection of American strength, submissiveness is going to get him/us somewhere. Finally, the lie -- oh this is "protocol," the Obami say. Ah, no it's not. Whether delivering fractured history (in Cairo), or denying their own failed gambit (preconditions? what preconditions for the Middle East peace process?), or disguising their motives (dismantling missile defense isn't to appease the Russians, we were laughably told), or trying to pull a fast one to get out of an embarrassing jam (Honduras), the Obama foreign-policy operation is one of the most disingenuous and incompetent in recent memory.

Sometimes a bow is just a bow. And sometimes it is a reminder that it is amateur hour at a critical time in our history.

This all brings us to the question of why is it that our groveling, anti-American, pro-world government, "wow bowing," president can make the effort to bow before foreign royalty but can't lift his hand over his heart for the national anthem at a Veterans' Day ceremony.

"Change"? Yep, America got change, but not the kind they thought they were voting for.

Posted by Abdul at November 16, 2009 8:42 AM

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