Video: Obama bows to Saudi king?
posted at 2:41 pm on April 2, 2009 by Allahpundit
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Question mark in the headline because I can’t tell for sure without knowing what words passed between them, but it certainly looks like a bow. Skip ahead to 0:50 and judge for yourself. Like the boss says, whether this is more or less nauseating than Bush holding hands with his pal Abdullah while they went for a garden scroll is immaterial. The fact remains that having to co-exist with the Saudis doesn’t mean having to respect them. When they stop whipping old ladies for having unrelated men in their homes, maybe then we can reconsider observing the niceties of protocol.
If this is a bow, it’s more than Elizabeth got when The One met her yesterday. Maybe if she started beheading people for not practicing the state religion, she’d have received a little more deference. Exit quotation from a 1994 edition of the NYT, contemplating the prospect of Clinton bowing to Japan’s emperor: “Canadians still bow to England’s Queen; so do Australians. Americans shake hands. If not to stand eye-to-eye with royalty, what else were 1776 and all that about?”
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He is obviously reaching down to tie the guy’s shoe.
myrenovations on April 2, 2009 at 2:42 PM
AP, you forgot this administration’s “smart” foreign policy: Screw your friends and bow to your enemies
youngO on April 2, 2009 at 2:44 PM
It looked like he kissed his ring. What a jerk! He grabs the hand of the Queen of England with both hands and gives it a shake, but he bows to the arabs. Tell me again, what religion is he?
Bambi on April 2, 2009 at 2:44 PM
obama wants to be groom of the stool for the saudi’s a little bit too much
gatorboy on April 2, 2009 at 2:45 PM
He doesn’t care about Brown, but the Saudis? That’s a different kettle, he wants to show how pro-Muslim this country is. Not, of course.
jeanie on April 2, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Uh… the President isn’t suppose to bow, curtsy, or whatever, to their equal counterpart.
Did someone not tell idiot boy this?
Enoxo on April 2, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Does the Saud prince have any religious titles as well, or is he just a monarch, and if he does is it customary to bow to a religious leader in Saudi?
DFCtomm on April 2, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Weak.
HuskerNate on April 2, 2009 at 2:46 PM
Perhaps that bow, is some indication, as to why he won’t relase his college records? LOL
Kidding :D
However, I do agree. If he’s going to bow, then why not bow to Elizabeth, as well? From what I could see, it was more of a pronounced nod. This is very telling, in my opinion.
capejasmine on April 2, 2009 at 2:47 PM
It shows respect.
I never knew showing respect showing you are weak
nice343 on April 2, 2009 at 2:47 PM
I think it’s clear that Obama dropped the gifts he was going to give Abdullah, and bent down to pick them up.
The gifts? An iPod loaded with Jay-Z and Rhianna, and a case of pork chops.
richardj on April 2, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Moron. Disgusting, simply disgusting.
johnsteele on April 2, 2009 at 2:47 PM
Well Queen Elizabeth is merely a woman. How could she be worth anything to Obama? I wonder if he called her “sweetie” too. The Saudi king knows how to keep women-folk in line. Obama’s gotta like that. Lord knows, he needs some tips in his personal life.
herrevery on April 2, 2009 at 2:47 PM
If the One did it, then it is not Him who is wrong. It is you who must change your views. The One had a reason to do so because He can see farther into the future and understands the power of a butterfly’s wings.
eforhan on April 2, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Precisely the problem.
Allahpundit on April 2, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Totus tripped him. Totus has joined the darkside.
MDWNJ on April 2, 2009 at 2:48 PM
It’s required for all muslims to bow to the king
Locrian on April 2, 2009 at 2:48 PM
It does look like a ring kiss.
We are in so much trouble folks.
shick on April 2, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Doesn’t this tie in completely with his admission that the Washington consensus is over? We no longer lead the world economy.
msmveritas on April 2, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Or a hand kiss.
shick on April 2, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Gack!
For GOD’S SAKE, who sent these rubes touring in the name of the United States? My pet goat has better manners and a whole helluva lot less resources.
We’re doomed.
tree hugging sister on April 2, 2009 at 2:49 PM
So far, the obama’s(both of them)get an F for showing class at the G20.
jeanie on April 2, 2009 at 2:49 PM
Knock it off with this crap, please. I don’t have time to police threads today.
Allahpundit on April 2, 2009 at 2:49 PM
The gifts? An iPod loaded with Jay-Z and Rhianna, and a case of pork chops.
richardj on April 2, 2009 at 2:47 PM
I was pondering on that this morning. Ipods pffffft. I would have advised he, and Michelle give the royals each a box of those expensive waigu steaks they’re so fond of. LOL
capejasmine on April 2, 2009 at 2:50 PM
If suppose if Germany controlled as much of the world’s oil back in the thirties, both a President Bush and a President Obama would have held hands with and bowed to Adolf Hitler.
MB4 on April 2, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Only loyal subjects bow to a king. American presidents are equal if not higher than any other leader anywhere therefore American presidents greet any and all heads of States as no greater than equals.
Guardian on April 2, 2009 at 2:50 PM
but of course michelle can’t touch the stinking queen.
sesquipedalian on April 2, 2009 at 2:51 PM
obama is the most popular American president in Europe since JFK
JFK=90% among europeans
Obama= 87%
Bush= 17%
nice343 on April 2, 2009 at 2:51 PM
Nah. He won’t release his college records so we won’t know he’s a product of the commie-mill.
shick on April 2, 2009 at 2:51 PM
He knows where his bread is buttered!
TheSitRep on April 2, 2009 at 2:51 PM
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this comment board. Watching you guys stew over DVD’s, queen-touching, and this is just pure gold. Is this what it looks like when a political movement dies?
maleman on April 2, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Just the fact that the Saudis are allowed any interaction with others leaves me sick to my stomach. Seeing my so-called President groveling before him is just beyond words.
And yes holding hands with such as that was sickening. But Laura Bush should be given credit to bringing my attention to just how awful living in a Islamic culture is for women.
If liberals were smart they would play on this anger against how women are treated in this kingdom to get more co-operation in their “global warming” plans.
I dont’ buy the “man made global warming” arguements and think we should be putting time and energy into raising leviees…etc
But getting away from these disgusting cultures having power over my daily life… I’d back lots of things.
The Virtue of new energy is good and speaks for itself as long as it isn’t attatched to psuedo religions like “stopping man made global warming”.
petunia on April 2, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Thank god, since he isn’t the president of Europe. And that most of Europe is a socialist cesspool, I am glad they don’t like Bush.
MDWNJ on April 2, 2009 at 2:53 PM
We don’t need his transcripts for that.
thomasaur on April 2, 2009 at 2:53 PM
It’s a sign of submission.
No American citizen should ever submit to a monarch. When one becomes an American citizen, not only does one renounce loyalty to that country but also to the king/queen. Very significant.
herrevery on April 2, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Until then they should be shot on sight.
MB4 on April 2, 2009 at 2:53 PM
And still he has a budget before congress that will break the world.
petunia on April 2, 2009 at 2:53 PM
It kind of looks like a joke. As for the queen a simple neck-bow is protocol for Americans, long established. Where as the good King’s been around since the British put him in power, and to all other monarchies I think the US does a waist bow but looks forward, not down.
PresidenToor on April 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
I’m wondering what he does when he goes to Burger King.
Mark1971 on April 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Yep. Immediate, unreserved, easy.
Huh…..
Cody1991 on April 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
What a clueless dweeb . . . part of the problem, I would imagine, is that he has such a high opinion of himself and his oozy intelligence that he can’t be bothered to learn anything from the many people available to him who understand the complexities and nuances of protocol. Apparently, until recently he was unaware that there are such people over at State.
califcon on April 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
You think you’re being entertained. Go over to KOS.
shick on April 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
He asked him if he wanted a shoeshine with the American flag then, assuming the best, started to give him one, the king demurred, and Obama stood up. What’s the big deal?
Akzed on April 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
During one of the Olympics, every flag was dipped, except for the American flag. The person holding the flag said: The American flag is lowered to no Earthly power.
The good ol’ days. Now, Presidents bow … and the flag will be lowered.
OhEssYouCowboys on April 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
While you’re done there…
natesnake on April 2, 2009 at 2:54 PM
Okay,I’ve been waiting for this!
Bowing to the Queen,to me is a courtesy,no biggy,
but,bowing to the King,is a no no!
Its like WW2,and your bowing to the Japanese,the President
of the US doesn’t do that!
It shows weakness!
canopfor on April 2, 2009 at 2:55 PM
It looks like Uhhhbama was going to kiss his ass, but the king was facing the wrong way for that. What else could he have been doing? Hmmmmm
darwin-t on April 2, 2009 at 2:55 PM
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this comment board. Watching you guys stew over DVD’s, queen-touching, and this is just pure gold. Is this what it looks like when a political movement dies?
maleman on April 2, 2009 at 2:52 PM
I don’t think it’s any worse than the msm’s losing viewers, and readers because of their left liberal bias. I see opinions, and a few jokes. Nothing wrong with that….and I suspect you’ve made a few cheap shots at Bush’s expense. ;)
capejasmine on April 2, 2009 at 2:55 PM
While you’re down there…
natesnake on April 2, 2009 at 2:55 PM
I never knew showing respect showing you are weak
nice343 on April 2, 2009 at 2:47 PM
So how you doing today, nice? Plan on posting later in the thread as “money2″ or are you sticking to one personae today?
Bishop on April 2, 2009 at 2:55 PM
/addendum.
Akzed on April 2, 2009 at 2:55 PM
This guy can’t get anything right. He was supposed to turn around first, then bow. Grabbing of ankles would be strictly optional though.
Grayson on April 2, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Thank heavens the left is above this sort of thing and never commented on Bush holding hands with the Saudi king or winking at Elizabeth or any fluff nonsense like that.
How do you guys stay so darned substantive?
Allahpundit on April 2, 2009 at 2:56 PM
Since we are suppossed to worship Xerxes and he worships the Saudi’s, let’s just cut out the middle man.
John D on April 2, 2009 at 2:56 PM
The Euro-weenies don’t like Americans (you included) until they get their tit in a ringer and need us to save their bacon. They like the groom of the stool because they know he dislikes America as much as they do. He shows this by his actions and what he says when he is in Europe.
thomasaur on April 2, 2009 at 2:57 PM
NO!!!
We, of the US of A bow to no man. Period.
ExSubNuke on April 2, 2009 at 2:57 PM
SO? He is bowing to the Prince of Saudi Arabia. Are you on drugs?
JAM on April 2, 2009 at 2:57 PM
You are not an American are you.
petunia on April 2, 2009 at 2:57 PM
Afghanistan’s women are no longer in vogue.
It was only a few years ago that Laura Bush, who normally shied from causes that could be considered controversial, took up their banner. “The brutal oppression of women is a central goal of the terrorists,” the first lady said in a radio address shortly after President Bush launched the U.S-led invasion to overthrow the Taliban following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. “The plight of women and children in Afghanistan is a matter of deliberate human cruelty, carried out by those who seek to intimidate and control.”
That was then. This is now: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has just signed a law that forces women to obey their husbands’ sexual demands, keeps women from leaving the house — even for work or school — without a husband’s permission, automatically grants child custody rights to fathers and grandfathers before mothers, and favors men in inheritance disputes and other legal matters. In short, the law again consigns Afghan women to lives of brutal repression.
The U.S. State Department has had no immediate comment.
Afghanistan’s women are, apparently, the latest casualty of the Obama administration’s tilt toward realpolitik: ignore human rights violations — whether they’re in China, Russia or in the quiet misery of an Afghan villager’s home — in pursuit of larger foreign policy goals.
MB4 on April 2, 2009 at 2:58 PM
speaking of class: Did you catch Michelle’s convent school outfit when she visited the Queen? Whatever was she thinking!
jeanie on April 2, 2009 at 2:58 PM
Shaking someone’s hand and looking him in the eye shows respect. Bowing is a sign of deference to another’s superiority. Especially when the bow is not reciprocated.
Obama is an ass.
patriette on April 2, 2009 at 2:58 PM
Ring kiss.
We are in so much trouble.
aquaviva on April 2, 2009 at 2:59 PM
I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this comment board. Watching you guys stew over DVD’s, queen-touching, and this is just pure gold. Is this what it looks like when a political movement dies?
maleman on April 2, 2009 at 2:52 PM
Give us some slack, man. We spent eight years seeing the ‘rats hyperventilate over “strategery”, pretzels and winks, so we just feel it’s our proper due.
Bishop on April 2, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Huh. So why didn’t the pedophile-following King of Arabia bow to Obooba then?
Akzed on April 2, 2009 at 2:59 PM
It very definitely was a bow. He locks his legs and everything. He doesn’t actually kiss his hand but his head does go below it in the passing way they kiss. Our flag doesn’t dip and neither should the President’s head.
We owe nobody such respect, nobody. Even a Catholic President would have the good sense to kiss the Pope’s ring in a private audience only.
Obama is there as a Head of State.
Rocks on April 2, 2009 at 2:59 PM
TRUE
The United States Flag Code outlines certain guidelines for the use, display, and disposal of the flag. For example, the flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation. (This tradition comes from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where countries were asked to dip their flag to King Edward VII: the American team captain Martin Sheridan refused, famously proclaiming that “this flag dips to no earthly king.
Guardian on April 2, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Bush took the hand of a senior member of a friendly government when the man stumbled. (or appeared to stumble) The news media conveniently doesn’t notice the difficulty Abdullah was having walking.
The Obama, is going to get a lot of people hurt. The news media will bend and twist, look away, ignore, point fingers of blame elsewhere, but The Obama is going to hurt a lot of people before this is over. There is the very real possibility that when it is over, the United States of America will be changed beyond recognition, and changed into something most of us won’t like. If any of us are still alive to see it.
Skandia Recluse on April 2, 2009 at 3:00 PM
O Creator of Worlds, why do you dig the brits so?
They tried to enslave us and burnt our Whitehouse, and created the whole clusterfuck in MENA that we have to deal with now.
If I every meet the Queen ima spit on her.
But, then, I’m Irish.
4 gen out of county cork.
:)
strangelet on April 2, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Saudi king may whip old ladies but obama helps murder children for the abortion army. Under these circumstances, I think i’ll take the saudi king over obama.
Oh, and the difference between a bow and holding hands is that the former indicates subservience while the latter indicates friendship. Not that ogabe could be bothered to learn these things, good leadership is above his pay grade.
Darth Executor on April 2, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Scary. And Sad.
Tell me again why any woman voted for Obama? Oh right. He’s sexy in an unsexy way.
herrevery on April 2, 2009 at 3:02 PM
Oops, AMERICAN-Irish that is.
;)
strangelet on April 2, 2009 at 3:02 PM
Apparently we do now. We now bow to everyone. The age of American Power is over. It was declared by Gordon Brown. And Obama accepted it. We are no longer a super power.
petunia on April 2, 2009 at 3:02 PM
He may not even be especially awake.
MB4 on April 2, 2009 at 3:02 PM
My goodness. If that’s not a bow, I don’t know what is.
Alana on April 2, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Co-exist? No. The relationship is as old as time. Drug addict pusher, Pimp and whore, Boozehound and a bottle of Jim Beam. We are DEPENDNT on them. I do think it’s funny that the focus is on ephemera like if he “bowed” or not, vs. what any Administration, Democrat of Republican has done over the last 40 years to challenge this totalitarian government with some of the most draconian anti-woman systems of law and whose wealthy class consistently funds Palestinians and Al-Qaeda. It’s why all the rah rahing about War on Terror rang so hollow under Bush. It was a war on people who we don’t have great oil trading relationships with. Period.
DeathToMediaHacks on April 2, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Looked at it again – surely he didn’t kiss his ring!
Alana on April 2, 2009 at 3:04 PM
I thought he “bows to no one” like Frodo and his friends.
Brat on April 2, 2009 at 3:04 PM
obama is the most popular American president in Europe since JFK
nice343 on April 2, 2009 at 2:51 PM
I hear the Europeans have quite the track record of getting starry-eyed for demagogues:
Hitler
Mussolini
Franco
Quisling
Bishop on April 2, 2009 at 3:04 PM
To the House of Saud? They deserve no respect. It sickened me when Bush did it too.
And according to the progressive narrative, the good ol’ US of A committed genocide on the Native American population using germ warfare. And then we started really killing them. But what everybody, and I do mean everybody, admits is that we’re not now what we were then, and neither are the Brits.
TheUnrepentantGeek on April 2, 2009 at 3:04 PM
Well, I personally voted for Obama because I don’t really want to become a Womb of the State.
Also I dig smart men…..like Allahpundit.
;)
strangelet on April 2, 2009 at 3:05 PM
“Bow to me”
LtE126 on April 2, 2009 at 3:05 PM
How do you guys stay so darned substantive?
Well, NOT by pushing not one but two posts on how Obama dared to give the queen an iPod, then ignoring the White House’s claim that it was requested.
Part of me is OK with that though, because it avoids any more bandwidth wasted on this story.
But, let’s get on to more important matters like if Obama used the word England or not.
Keep up the good work!
Tom_Shipley on April 2, 2009 at 3:05 PM
Manchurian president paying respect to his master?
Metalhead on April 2, 2009 at 3:06 PM
It is not.
Would you prefer he sucker punched the guy to establish dominance instead? (Actually that might not have been a bad idea…)
My opinion is that he intended to do a mild bow and, in his naiveté/nervousness being his first time, he overdid it.
I’d prefer to blast him for regulating the international finance industry and possibly damaging our sovereignity if what Rush said was true.
(Though I reserve the right to add this to my ObamaUrkel collection. :D )
Skywise on April 2, 2009 at 3:06 PM
He meant to change clothes before meeting the pedophile worshiper, but his baggage got lost during his payover in Topeka.
Akzed on April 2, 2009 at 3:06 PM
So Obama is Abdullah’s bitch now? Great.
flipflop on April 2, 2009 at 3:06 PM
…layover
Akzed on April 2, 2009 at 3:06 PM
She looked hideous. Although, JCrew must be loving her humongous ass, because they are completely sold out of that sparkly sweater and the green pencil skirt she wore the other day.
califcon on April 2, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Stick and see who has the last laugh in 4 years. The “one” is overreaching far more than even I thought he would, and that won’t bode well next time around. You indeed might be witnessing a death, a death of the American way. Let’s just hope we can survive for 4 years.
kam582 on April 2, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Well at least The Teleprompter didn’t bow to the troglodyte misogynist, so there is always that anyway.
MB4 on April 2, 2009 at 3:07 PM
Extermely good point. Obama went to Europe to gravel. To show a humble America. Crap. This is bad.
petunia on April 2, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Yeah because Al Quaeda had nothing to do with the Taliban and because the US was never in Iraq until 2002… :rolleyes:
Skywise on April 2, 2009 at 3:08 PM
Jackie O don’t ya know.
thomasaur on April 2, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Yeah, it is hard to tell. Because someone passed in front of the camera you can’t tell is he was picking something up from the floor or bowing.
Maybe he dropped something.
Jaynie59 on April 2, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Well, technically we tried to enslave them first. But it didn’t work because there was no legacy slave culture like in Africa where the Masai and the Watusi enslaved the Bantu. The Native Americans died trying to escape or just stopped eating. Then we started killing them.
That’s in your sacred book, the Bible, isn’t it? Slavery?
strangelet on April 2, 2009 at 3:09 PM
How about putting the 2 still pictures together so everyone can see just whom he respects?
Come allapundit – let’s see them together.
Bambi on April 2, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Obama European Tour 2009
Kissing a@@ and taking blame.
kingsjester on April 2, 2009 at 3:10 PM
And why is that relevant?
kam582 on April 2, 2009 at 3:10 PM
At least, he did not kiss him and hold his hand.
Bad news for the cons.
The G20 was a success and the President showed the world he is a leader and not an embarrassment like w.
getalife on April 2, 2009 at 3:10 PM
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