Lets be clear, this is not a bow. He's simply reaching down to shake his hand given how tiny that guy is.
It's hard to tell from a still photo. BO could be raising up, from just having shined the other guys shoes.
I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT! He is supposed to be leader of the most powerful nation in the world and he is bowing down to other people? What kind of man did you people elect as your leader!?! What a wimp we have as president. When you are leader of the U.S.,people should bow to you...not the other way around. I guess he is just getting us ready for whats to come and how in a few years we will all be bowing to other countries
I am not thrilled at this either, but for everyone that is outraged at this photo, or at Bush's "respect" of the Saudi royal family: It's not 1955. We are no longer the world's largest producer and exporter of oil. We are no longer the world's largest creditor nation either. We import 2/3 of our oil, which is almost a quarter of all the world oil production, and we also carry a huge deficit that needs constant interest rate payments and is growing evermore. Gone are the days of hubris. Sure, we have the best and most powerful military. And we can try to use it. But if you want to go that route, then go ahead and enlist in the army - no one is stopping you. And by the way, a president does not bow to or kiss a world leader wondering what the little people back home may think. That is irrelevant. You and I are irrelevant. This is all about kissing foreign elite ass to benefit our elites, so our elites maintain their position. It's not a Democrat or a Republican thing. So spare me the "my candidate/party" would act differently. Unless you are a centimillionare or a billionare - you are nobody and no one in government cares what you think.
Federal gov't interests are becoming diametrically opposed to the average citizen, you are correct. It has been a 20 year process, but US is not stronger. Best to put efforts into things that truly count like your family and immediate community, as long as they (Feds) don't turn fascist.
I think Obama understand the Japanese culture and is just being humble---especially knowing that his Country have dropped a couple of atomic bombs and nearly killed everyone in Japan.
I agree. But I will be more balanced and say that it's not 100% about the elites. Maybe 95%. We do rely more on other nations now - power is being dispersed. We don't have the power we had during the cold war, or even just after the collapse of the USSR. It's a different world now.
Yes, I'm sure he does understandthe Japanese culture. But thats not the point. He is not an average citizen. He should be a man and act like a leader. The way he acts as if America is a weak country. He is behaving like a servant and not a leader. Servants bow. Leaders get bowed to.