latimes.com – How low will the new American president go for the world’s royalty?

This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference for a superior.

To some in the United States, however, an upright handshake might have looked better. RememberMichelle Obama casually patting Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on the back during their Buckingham Palace visit? America’s royalty tends to make movies and get bad reviews and lots of money as a sign of respect.

Obama could receive some frowns back home as he did for his not-quite-this-low-or-maybe-about-the-same-bow to the Saudi king not so long ago.

It’s pretty clear with this soon to circle the globe photo,  he was asking Emperor Akihito, “Is that dog mess on my show?”, because he definitely stepped in it with this bow.  President Obama definitely needs some better PR people to keep from getting his photo snapped while in compromising positions like this.  Better yet, maybe they should just stop him from bowing to royalty in the first place.

-Gipper’s Ghost

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