Thursday, April 09, 2009

Bow, Then Scrape, Then Spin

It's just three little letters, put together, that can have so many different meanings. "B-O-W" can be the front of a ship, a flexible strip of wood, or something pretty made with ribbon. Or it can mean:
–verb (used with object)
4: to bend or incline (the knee, body, or head) in worship, submission, respect, civility, agreement, etc.: "He bowed his head to the crowd," or "He bowed at the waist to the King of Saudi Arabia."
The question as to whether or not President Barack Obama bowed to foreign prince and/or potentate is becoming a laughable topic of discussion, made such by the even more laughable assertion by the White House that the Commander-In-Chief didn't really bow. One spokesperson said "It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah."

What? It wasn't a bow? Have you seen the video? If you haven't, take a gander at the video below. Forgive the Spanish, but it happens about 52 seconds in. Keep an eye on the President's left hand. You can't see it until he begins to rise (after bowing...or not). Then it quickly appears as the President (having just shown worship, submission, respect, civility and agreement to a foreign prince and/or potentate...or not) seeks to give the King the old "Chicago double-pump."


Now to be fair, the White House denial cited above came from an aide on the condition of anonymity. To my knowledge, there has yet to be any "official" statement by the White House's "official" Department of Damage Control. Perhaps this is because they generally control damage by ignoring the President's gaffes, knowing that the national and international media will pretty much ignore them, too. Pretty effective, when you think about it.

But for anyone to try to spin that what the Prez did (yes...he DID something) wasn't a bow is in many ways more offensive than the bow itself. Newt Gingrich, on the O'Reilly Factor, raised the question, "How stupid do they think we are?"

Well Mr. Speaker, they don't think "we" are stupid. They know "you," the former Speaker, and "me" an opinionated conservative aren't going to buy any of this. They don't care what we think, because in their world, we're just a bunch of...ugh...conservatives. But they do care what that wafer thin 2.5% of the electorate which changed from Bush and the Republicans to Obama and the Democrats during the last election, thinks. You see, that 2.5% constitutes the Chosen One's mandate. They're very hopeful that the 2.5% are just adoring enough that they'll lap up the spin and not see it as an affront to centuries of tradition that held that the American President "don't bow to no royalty."

For those of us that are onto Obama, who know that he's in way over his head, it was clearly a bow. But for those who would gladly bow down before the Annoited King of the Culture of Cool, we can call it an act of kindness to a vertically challenged head-of-state, 'cause you know why?

That's kinda cool.

1 comment:

Ultra Okie said...

Obama is clearly lowering the United States' standing as the world leader to an "also ran" with the leaders of other countries. he is obviously moving us towards a global consensus community rather than our former postion of leadership. i can only hope and pray that when the time comes, and it will, for our President to take a tough stance, or a position not popular with his other world leader cronies, that he will. If he will not, then the United States will have taken a huge step backwards and joined the rank and file, rather than lead.