A Few Quick Thoughts on the "Bow"

President Obama is at it again. He's now bowing to the Emperor of Japan.



The bow to the Saudi King caused the most controversy.



That's in part because the White House refused to acknowledge that he did in fact bow. There should now be little doubt of what the president was doing in either case.

It's unbecoming and unpresidential for any of our leaders to bow to any foreign leader. Their positions should be viewed as equal and a bow implicitly acknowledges a position of weakness. The Japanese emperor didn't bow back you'll notice and neither did the Saudi King. It's merely symbolic but foreign policy and symbolism are intertwined. This wasn't the president's finest moment.

I'm not sure why he felt the need to bow but this pattern must stop now.