Obama Bows to Jap Emperor

[Ed Anger]

15 degree bow!  Yi wins! Yi wins!

[Admiral Yi]

Yi wins a prize!

[Martinus]

15 degree bow!  Yi wins! Yi wins!

That's definitely more than 15 degrees in this picture.

[DontSayBanana]

I usually don't care much about symbolism, but as head of state he should not bow to other head of states.

Visiting.  If he's a guest of the Japanese head of state on Japanese home turf, who the fuck cares if he decides to show good manners to his host?

[jimmy olsen]

Yeah, it's probably the 2nd most important paper in the country after the New York Times.

Maybe the Washington Post can rival it for that position, but I can't think of any other that could.

No it isn't.  The LA Times is on the West Coast, it leans Republican and it services a relatively unimportant area of the country.

The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune are all more important.

Leans Republican?  Unimportant area of the country? 

[Ed Anger]

Yi wins a prize!

Congrats!

[Eddie Teach]

The Los Angeles Times went against its recent tradition of not taking sides in presidential elections and endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, calling him "the competent, confident leader who represents the aspirations of the United States."

It marked the Times' first presidential endorsement since 1972 and was the paper's first endorsement of a Democratic presidential candidate in it's 127-year history. The Chicago Tribune editorial board also published its first-ever endorsement of a Democratic presidential nominee today. It is not known whether Sam Zell had any input on either endorsement.

So I guess it leans Rockefeller.

[Admiral Yi]

Visiting.  If he's a guest of the Japanese head of state on Japanese home turf, who the fuck cares if he decides to show good manners to his host?

Good manners are great as long as they are reciprocal.

[OttoVonBismarck]

What's disgraceful is Obama's bow actually brought disrespect to himself under traditional Japanese protocol.  Here is how a President would do it maintaining proper protocol (showing respect for the Emperor while maintaining self-respect.) 

This is another glaring example of Obama fumbling things up on protocol (look at how he received the British PM and the sort of gifts they exchanged.)  Here's what stuns me about all of this:

1.  Protocol is handled by permanent staff attached to the State Department, that's why even relatively incompetent Presidents usually get protocol correct--the people who make it their business to know protocol generally serve through multiple administrations. (Chief of Protocol is political and changes with administration but the people who do the actual work do not.)  That doesn't mean an individual doesn't make the occasional gaffe, that happens to every world leader.  But this has happened to Obama repeatedly.

2.  The fact that Obama has failed at protocol so many times on so many different aspects (proper greeting, proper gift exchanging et cetera) means someone in the Obama camp must have essentially taken over the protocol stuff and the career guys are riding back seat.  A lot of those people are the same ones who were around when Clinton or Bush were in office so they obviously did fine in the past.

[Viking]

Akihito is short, Obama is tall, that might have affected that.

Edit: When I was in japan the locals were constantly amazed how courteous I was by bowing every time I entered a room. I was just pleased I didn't knock my head in the door frame AGAIN.

[Neil]

Here's how a real American leader looks when he meets the Emperor of Japan:

[Eddie Teach]

 

I must assume Neil didn't click Otto's link or he wouldn't have framed his post in that disparaging manner.

[Hansmeister]

This is how ABC news Japan expert put it:

"Obama's handshake/forward lurch was so jarring and inappropriate it recalls Bush's back-rub of Merkel.

"Kyodo News is running his appropriate and reciprocated nod and shake with the Empress, certainly to show the president as dignified, and not in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs.

"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.

Of course he is not just playing the part of a weak President. 

[FunkMonk]

Here's how a real American leader looks when he meets the Emperor of Japan:

Dugout Doug wins this thread.

[DisturbedPervert]

in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs.

That is exactly what it seemed like.  Like someone trying too hard to be multicultural.