DIDN'T HE LEARN THE FIRST TIME? - AT 10:53 A.M. ET:   Early in his administration, President Obama was lambasted for giving a deep bow to the king of Saudi Arabia.  He apparently had never heard of the tradition that Americans do not bow to foreign leaders.

It's clear that Mr. Obama didn't learn the lesson.  He's visiting Japan.  As Ronald Reagan liked to say, there he goes again:

Reader Errol Phillips writes:

After living in Japan for 8 years .... I can assure everyone this is an incorrect bow. A slight 2-inch downward nod of the head is the appropriate bow among equals.

What Obama shows is complete subservience ... the kind of bow a typical salaryman might make when meeting a superior.

COMMENT:  Or, the kind of bow a president who doesn't like his own country might make when meeting a foreign leader.

This is embarrassing.  Will someone who knows about these things please speak to the man.

And Andrew Malcolm of the L.A. Times's Top of the Ticket, supplies us with the earlier photo of Obama bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia:

Choose your bow.  Looks like the president was wearing the same suit.

November 14, 2009