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Did he or did he Not Bow

post #1 of 44
4/9/09 at 9:20am
Thread Starter 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S60U-...layer_embedded

Sure looks like a bow to me. Soooo, why lie?

About 53 second in to the video
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post #2 of 44
4/9/09 at 9:59am
that's definitely a bow...
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post #3 of 44
4/9/09 at 10:10am
Thread Starter 
Honestly, I don't really have a problem with the bow. But I DO have a problem with the Lie. Can't his administration just tell the truth and let the chips fall?
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post #4 of 44
4/9/09 at 11:48am
It's a bow.
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post #5 of 44
4/9/09 at 12:01pm
My question is why is this such a big deal?
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post #6 of 44
4/9/09 at 4:45pm
Let me ask you this, if bowing is 'just a sign of respect' like I have been hearing other places, then why didn't the king bow back?

This is why it is a big deal. It made him subserviant.
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post #7 of 44
4/9/09 at 5:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Telynn View Post
Let me ask you this, if bowing is 'just a sign of respect' like I have been hearing other places, then why didn't the king bow back?

This is why it is a big deal. It made him subserviant.
Royal protocol perhaps? Maybe that's why the king didn't bow back? It kind of looks like the king bowed his head slightly when he was grabbing Obama's hand. Then again, it could have just been due to the motion of reaching out his hand.
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post #8 of 44
4/9/09 at 5:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Essayons89 View Post
Royal protocol perhaps? Maybe that's why the king didn't bow back? It kind of looks like the king bowed his head slightly when he was grabbing Obama's hand. Then again, it could have just been due to the motion of reaching out his hand.
Yea I'm pretty sure a king is not supposed to bow (unless maybe to another king who is also 'chosen by god'???)
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post #9 of 44
4/9/09 at 5:50pm
Ok, I give up, I've watched the video twice, and yes, it was a bow. But who is supposed to be lying about it? All I can find are blogs that say "an anonymous staffer said...".
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post #10 of 44
4/9/09 at 6:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skippymjp View Post
Ok, I give up, I've watched the video twice, and yes, it was a bow. But who is supposed to be lying about it? All I can find are blogs that say "an anonymous staffer said...".
Yeah, ditto. I didn't even know who they were talking about having bowed! There were several people who bowed, either at the waist or just at the neck. So I figure it was probably Obama since he's under the microscope.

So he bowed. Who cares.
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post #11 of 44
4/9/09 at 7:36pm
Looks like a very deep bow to me - not the casual quick head bow like the rest are doing (like a hello nod) - that is a bow!
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post #12 of 44
4/9/09 at 8:07pm
Is it really all that important? Are folks making mountains out of molehills?
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post #13 of 44
4/9/09 at 8:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckblv View Post
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S60U-...layer_embedded

Sure looks like a bow to me. Soooo, why lie?

About 53 second in to the video
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post
Is it really all that important? Are folks making mountains out of molehills?
Yes he did. And Michelle touched the Queen. And Barack clasped the Queen's hand with both of his, all gaffes in protocol.

And he gave Gordon Brown DVDs that don't work in Europe, and he gave the Queen an iPod filled with his speeches along with some music. OK, the autographed song book was cool, but the iPod? Classless.

The point is that this buffoon is in way over his head, and he and his staff have no idea about custom or protocol or appropriate gifts.
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post #14 of 44
4/9/09 at 8:59pm
I thought the ipod wasn't a terrible gift, but the fact that it was filled with his speeches made it ridiculous...
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post #15 of 44
4/10/09 at 3:18am
That was so much of a bow that he nearly touched his toes
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post #16 of 44
4/10/09 at 4:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post
Is it really all that important? Are folks making mountains out of molehills?


I'm in the "Who the heck cares" crowd.



So he got some protocol right, some not. In the great scheme of things, this is not a big deal.
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post #17 of 44
4/10/09 at 6:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nanner View Post


I'm in the "Who the heck cares" crowd.



So he got some protocol right, some not. In the great scheme of things, this is not a big deal.
Honestly! For all we know he may have dropped something and bent really low to quickly pick it up and that's why it looks like such a deep bow.

Yup! Mountains out of molehills. I'm certain he has a lot to learn about protocol among other things just as any of the rest of us would have a learning curve in a new job. He's had the job just a little over 2 months for God's sake - cut the man a bit of slack.
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post #18 of 44
4/10/09 at 7:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom View Post
Yes he did. And Michelle touched the Queen. And Barack clasped the Queen's hand with both of his, all gaffes in protocol.

And he gave Gordon Brown DVDs that don't work in Europe, and he gave the Queen an iPod filled with his speeches along with some music. OK, the autographed song book was cool, but the iPod? Classless.

The point is that this buffoon is in way over his head, and he and his staff have no idea about custom or protocol or appropriate gifts.
Okay, but if he can get Americans health care and help the economy including lowering the unemployment rate - all of which remains to be seen, then his gaffes are pretty inconsequencial.
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post #19 of 44
4/10/09 at 7:55am
Thread Starter 
I don't care that he bowed in the least, but I DO care that the White House is lying about it. It is ridiculous to lie about it.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmi..._to_Saudi.html

No, it was not an official statement put out by the White House, it was by an aide that was to gutless to be identified. I don't think the White House has to even comment on it. If people don't like it, tough.
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post #20 of 44
4/10/09 at 8:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ckblv View Post
I don't care that he bowed in the least, but I DO care that the White House is lying about it. It is ridiculous to lie about it.
I would agree with you, if someone was lying. But, "an anonymous aide"? That has even less credibility than the disgruntled ex-Whitehouse staffers writing "tell all" books.
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post #21 of 44
4/10/09 at 9:19am
Ya gotta love it when the buffoon is finally on the other foot... At least he didn't try to give him a knuckle bump.

Seriously, don't they have staffers with them who know what's proper depending on where they are and who they're meeting?
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post #22 of 44
4/10/09 at 10:33am
Here's a story from The Huffington Post (hardly a conservative rag) that states that Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary (about as official as you can get without getting it from straight from Obama's mouth) said that it wasn't a bow and dismissed it outright:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_185281.html

Is it a big deal? Apparently the President isn't putting much weight into the whole Protocol thing, but there is a precedent that goes back a couple hundred years that US Presidents do not bow to Royalty of any country. I'm pretty sure that goes back to the whole King George thing - you know where we had a war to create our own country and all that?

It does show subservience, and we as a nation are not below any other nation. We are equal. No better, either, as we certainly do not expect or require foreign dignitaries to bow to our President.
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post #23 of 44
4/10/09 at 10:35am
I thought the same at first that he might have dropped something and watched it a few times - he didn't drop anything on the ground. It was too deep bow and inappropriate.

You would think that he should KNOW you don't do certan things. I've never met the Queen either, but know know protocal and you do not touch her unless she touches you first and you bow in respect. IMO the ipod gift to the Queen was highly inappropriate too.
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post #24 of 44
4/10/09 at 10:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
. . . but there is a precedent that goes back a couple hundred years that US Presidents do not bow to Royalty of any country. I'm pretty sure that goes back to the whole King George thing - you know where we had a war to create our own country and all that?

It does show subservience, and we as a nation are not below any other nation. We are equal. No better, either, as we certainly do not expect or require foreign dignitaries to bow to our President.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
You would think that he should KNOW you don't do certan things. I've never met the Queen either, but know know protocal and you do not touch her unless she touches you first and you bow in respect. IMO the ipod gift to the Queen was highly inappropriate too.
This is contrary to what Heidi said above so which is it, US Presidents do not bow to Royalty of any country, or they bow in respect to the Queen?

It would seem we could all use a course in protocol. I was under the impression that men bowed and women curtsied to the Queen.
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post #25 of 44
4/10/09 at 10:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinder View Post
At least he didn't try to give him a knuckle bump.
I just got the mental picture.
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post #26 of 44
4/10/09 at 11:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post
This is contrary to what Heidi said above so which is it, US Presidents do not bow to Royalty of any country, or they bow in respect to the Queen?

It would seem we could all use a course in protocol. I was under the impression that men bowed and women curtsied to the Queen.
I think there's a difference in bows. There's the respectful slight tilt of the upper body, and lowering of the gaze that I've seen dignitaries give the Queen. But not the deep bow, below the head of the Royal, that he gave the Saudi King.
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post #27 of 44
4/10/09 at 12:36pm
It seems like he's acting like himself and not being afraid of being human, more than any other president has. I mean, it shows that he's not all that elitist and he's just a common person like all of us who elected him.
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post #28 of 44
4/10/09 at 1:12pm
Has Letterman done this yet? Okay, here goes...

The Top Reasons That It Was Not A Bow

4. "Look, it's a quarter! Let's see, that's one trillion minus..."

3. "Ah geez, those beans I had last night are killing me..."

2. "You're kidding, no one else saw that shoe coming?"

drum roll.............................

1. "Your highness, are you sure these pants don't make my butt look big?"


Okay... This explains why I'm not on Letterman.
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post #29 of 44
4/10/09 at 2:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by valanhb View Post
I think there's a difference in bows. There's the respectful slight tilt of the upper body, and lowering of the gaze that I've seen dignitaries give the Queen. But not the deep bow, below the head of the Royal, that he gave the Saudi King.
A bow is a bow is a bow. If Presidents are not supposed to bow, then they don't bow - low, high or medium. So it can't be both ways - either they don't bow or they do. In Japan it is customary to bow to each other in greeting (as in the martial arts) so I'm assuming if Obama was in Japan and bowed to another Japanese he would be criticized because he is not supposed to bow to anyone as a US President?

I agree UtOpia - he seems to be the most "common folk" President I've seen in my lifetime.
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post #30 of 44
4/10/09 at 2:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite View Post
A bow is a bow is a bow. If Presidents are not supposed to bow, then they don't bow - low, high or medium. So it can't be both ways - either they don't bow or they do. In Japan it is customary to bow to each other in greeting (as in the martial arts) so I'm assuming if Obama was in Japan and bowed to another Japanese he would be criticized because he is not supposed to bow to anyone as a US President?

I agree UtOpia - he seems to be the most "common folk" President I've seen in my lifetime.
I notice the Saudi King didn't bow back!

He needs to be coached in advance the proper greeting for each dignitary, and it may vary from one to another. That is the job of his Chief of P-R-O-T-O-C-O L !

And concerning the "common folk" part, I don't agree. Clinton was much more likable and had charisma. Obama is the only President since Nixon that I can say with conviction will lie to save face and over the most ridiculous things. At least Bush and Clinton could laugh at themselves once in awhile. This Obozo is a snob with no sense of humor and a hugely inflated ego he will protect at all costs.
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