Obama bows...again?

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Emperor Akihito of Japan, and now President Hu Jintao of China. Does Obama have a bowing problem?

The President seems to have learned little from the fuss made over his bow to Emperor Akihito of Japan in November, or indeed the outcry when he did the same to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia last April. This week, Obama was at it again, appearing to bow his head towards Chinese President Hu Jintao. Conservative bloggers were united in their outrage. Evidently, "the United States now willingly prostrates itself before the rest of the world," says Scott Johnson at PowerLine. But at a time when the US is trying to stop China manipulating its currency, says an editorial in the New York Times, politeness is at a premium. Watch Obama's greeting of Hu Jintao and decide for yourself:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us