A while before people began debating Barack Obama’s obsequious bow to Emperor Akihito, he had created a controversy over the lack of respect demonstrated during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. Lucianne.com had it on her site last week, and a number of Hot Air readers sent it to me over the weekend:
Presidents do not normally salute except to return a salute, because they do not wear a military uniform. However, they do usually put their hands over their hearts instead, as one can see the other civilian on the dais doing. President Obama appears not to know what to do, which is yet another indication that Obama needs a better protocol office.
Update: Reader Paul A forwards this from FactCheck, which says that the reason Obama was not saluting was because the others on the dais were saluting him while the band played “Hail to the Chief.” Be sure to read it all; it does appear debunked.
Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at [email protected] with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.
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