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New York, 1:17 AM
Wed Dec 9
45 posts in the last 24 hours
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12/04/09
12/04/09
Sam Adams is the attorney you call when you are seriously fucked. A friend of mine who worked at the Board of Trade, but dealt a fair amount of blow on the side, used him for his drug case. Sam will do anything to get his guy off, but he wouldn't break the law. So he is not involved.
Secondly, the cop's verbal response is pure Chicagoese. We try to end every sentence w/a preposition. I am still fighting to this day to not say, "Where are you at?" when inquiring about the location of a person.
12/04/09
12/04/09
CONVENIENT.
12/04/09
Best regards,
G. G. Liddy
11/16/09
B. Jesus, I wish people would just get off Barry's (lovely) ass and let him do his job, which includes undoing the global alienation of the previous administration. #barackobama
11/16/09
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11/16/09
What is he doing? Limbering up for a game of Limbo with the Emperor?
Just a tad deep there, Prez. #barackobama
11/16/09
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11/16/09
(In matters of protocol, of course, not substance).
...Leave it to wingnuts to not be able to differentiate between the two. #barackobama
11/16/09
11/16/09
And what about that deep bow to the Saudi king?
Yes, you are a wingnut who cannot differentiate between respect and submission. #barackobama
11/16/09
11/16/09
And what about that deep bow to the Saudi king? How do you think that played in the Middle East? #barackobama
11/16/09
It's like going into someone's house, tracking mud all over their floors when they've asked you to remove your shoes... and then expecting them to feed you.
If he wanted to show displeasure with Japan (and he wouldn't do it with the Emperor anyway), then perhaps it would be proper not to bow.
When you enter a country as a guest, you abide by their protocol in much the same way you'd expect them to do when coming into your country. #barackobama
11/16/09
If President Obama goes to Saudi Arabia, would it be poor form if he didn't take an extra wife or two while there?
You Obamabots are hilarious. #barackobama
11/16/09
Wow, and now I see why everyone else gave up on you. #barackobama
11/16/09
11/16/09
In Japan, it is a custom to bow as a sign of respect when greeting someone, not just to monarchs. It is obvious Obama is bowing out of respect and not submission. So he's bowing a bit lower than necessary (or it looks like that because he is a lot taller than the guy and it's a static picture), but nobody ever made a big deal when it was done by other (non-Republican) presidents (Clinton was also criticized for bowing to Akihito). And if you look at the video rather than a static picture, you would see it was a very quick bow and the picture obviously was at the lowest point.
It is obvious people are making a big deal just because it is Obama. In a few weeks everyone will forget about it (just like with the Saudi guy) because in the scope of things it really isn't that important. #barackobama
11/17/09
And no, people did not forget about him doing a deep bow to the vile Saudi king. #barackobama
11/17/09
11/16/09
What I have NEVER ever done, is shake a hand and bow at the same time. Either one or the other but not at the same time. If you have to shake and bow, the bow is a nod, otherwise you bow with your arms at your side. You shake and nod because you must keep eye contact. It is incredibly rude to break eye contact unless you are in a deep "im sorry" bow (see above).
This is just what I was instructed to do by my council.
At that rate...I could really give a crap if the President bowed, how deep he bowed, where he bowed etc.. Im much more concerned by the fact that out of these meetings is coming the massive cap and trade taxes and global warming taxes that are about to hit us.
For those who really care about this, it was much more rude for Pres Bush #1 to throw up in this guys lap when he went to Japan! #barackobama
11/16/09
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11/16/09
In any case, the bow in Japan is not a sign of submission. It's a sign of respect. It's nice to have a president who seeks to achieve his ends by showing respect to other world leaders, rather than just expecting them to bend over to the U.S. president from the outset. #barackobama
11/16/09
Some of the FoxFollowers have been commenting about it and it's been something on their network.
Yesterday, they posted a clip from Fox News Sunday on Mediaite, showing the Obama bow and followed it with film of Dick Cheney not bowing, which prompted his daughter to say something about "Cheney 2012".
11/16/09
I have no clue about bowing in relation to one's head height so if that's the case then I'm the ignorant one. I thought it was all an angle thing. #barackobama
11/16/09
Obama's bow is 45 degrees or more, and eyes to the floor, which means either: (a) that he views the Emperor as an authority in the manner of a divine being, or (b) that he is apologizing.
Of course Obama is probably just exaggerating the motion out of unfamiliarity, but these "nuances" are well understood by all Japanese and many others. Someone told Obama that the deeper the bow, the more polite, which is only kinda correct, but overly simple.
Nixon did it right -- eye-to-eye, and no more than 30 degrees. This is how one would bow to sensei, peers, etc.
I'm no raving right-winger, but how fucking hard is it to get such a commonplace custom right when your job is visiting foreign dignitaries? It does make him look foolish. This is especially the case because the Emperor offered him the handshake, and did not reciprocate the deep bow.
Final point: maybe Obama meant to apologize. Given U.S. history in Japan, this would be a legit (if controversial) thing to do in my opinion. #barackobama
11/16/09
The point is that, in Japan (especially ceremonies of state), bow = handshake. It's not a sign of supplication. It's a sign of respect. You'll notice that Obama bows and that Akihito gives him a hearty handshake. But I doubt you'll hear many people in Japan saying "Oh my God, Akihito shook Obama's hand heartily, what a cheese-eating surrender monkey, kick him off the throne!"
That there would be even the slightest actual controversy about this in the mainstream is patently absurd.
11/16/09
You're right. I think Obama is exaggerating the motion because it's not a familiar thing, or more likely because he knows he's pretty fucking tall and isn't sure if he has to overcompensate because of that.
Where you're wrong is in attributing some deep meaning to this event. Watch the effing video, man. The bow is deep but quick. That particular photo is incredibly misleading, which is probably why you won't see the Obamabowgate crowd using the video as a source.
I think that, if Obama bowed that deeply in order to correct something, it was likely not for U.S. history with Japan, but for the dunderhead presidents before him who never felt as though they had to pay any real respect to Japan in order to get what they wanted.
He bowed. He showed respect. The Emperor shook his hand. The Emperor showed respect. That is the beginning and the end of what happened in that scene. #barackobama
11/16/09
11/16/09
That being said, the man made a mistake...it happens, but why cant you just admit he did something wrong. You are just as bad as those who want to paint this as something it isnt.
He made a mistake, his intentions were good...stop defending his mistake...call it what it is...move on and let those who would obsess about this do so. #barackobama
11/16/09
11/22/09
I'm sorry but you can't just say "he did his best and it was a little off" about POTUS. He should be getting very clear advice about these matters.
#tips
11/22/09
10/23/09
~Brazil #johnstossel
10/23/09
10/23/09