Bowing to Mao—you be the judge
Another non-surprise is that Obama’s defenders have been poring through old footage to find presidential bows similar to Obama’s. They’ve come up with this one from Nixon to Mao (at minute 1:24):
I admit that I don’t like it. But it’s a little head bob compared to Obama’s extraordinarily deep obeisance. What’s more, in Obama’s case the bow is symbolic of his policies to humble America. In Nixon’s, the intent and the policies were—different.
If you’re going to bow to someone, however, I’d rather it be to the present emperor of Japan than to Chairman Mao, one of the great tyrants of history. Then again, it seems ironic when the Left offers Nixon as an example of the president whom Obama is supposedly emulating.
No comparison between the two. Nixon head bobbed to acknowledge a leader of another country. His action in no way signifies subservience or a superior position for the receiver. It is one thing to be polite, it is quite another to act as a subject.
What Nixon did was an “American bow”. It’s the sort of body movement a person does while laughing at something.
I agree with the above. Isn’t a bow atall. Hope Milhous washed his hands, though.
As to the Left, they will do anything, anything at all, to keep their sheep grazing under their benign and all-knowing authority.
There is a huge difference between a quick head bob, where you bow at the neck….and a full-fledged bow from the waist – where your eyes are cast downward and instead of the leader of the free world you are behaving like a submissive and inferior peasant.
Our president is an ass.
Oh well, at least he has he crotch salute down pat.
It’s more an ‘acknowledgement’ bow people sometimes do when they don’t share a language and don’t want to not make some kind of gesture. Here, Nixon looks like he just heard some kind of words from an interpreter signaling his immediate attention with Mao was up.
I’ve seen similar body language growing up among farmers – and it’s never intended as a sign of subserviance and is not seen as “bowing” to another.
Trust me when I say farmers are the last people you are going to find being subserviant!
Usually, such body motions were accompanied by laughter or such.
As a matter of fact, as you watch the video you’ll notice he’s laughing as he does it.
After shaking hands, you notice he is fidgeting his hands about. That man is really on edge and is wound up.
Some people are simply more demonstrative in their physical actions, and I think that’s what we’re seeing in this video.
Remember, Nixon also gave us the image of two arms straight in the air waving two “V” finger gestures.
What Nixon did – and I’m absolutely not a fan of Nixon (!!!) – is an unconscious body movement of someone with some pent up physical energy.
Considering the events occuring in the video, plus the time frame involved, and I’m pretty sure Nixon probably was wound up and tense for very good reason.
I’d say it was a bit more than a simple head nod, but it’s certainly not a bow.
To compare this one specific, quick, off-the-cuff, unconscious movement with the far more formal, conscious, deliberate actions of The Won slowly bowing to the Japanese emperor as he shakes his hand is ridiculous.
It’d be like saying Nixon’s “V” for victory gesture is similar to a robber giving up to the police.
If you peruse other videos in this series, you can see that the head-bob is an unconscious reflex, as opposed to Obama’s intentional attempt to convey something. Obama goes further to explain his tortured reasoning for this stupid bow to be the fault of that arrogant Cowboy, Bush. Feh.
As for Nixon, I agree with Mel that the Mao head-bob looks more to be an exaggerated acknowledgment of the moment (much like when people speak louder when they try to communicate cross-culturally) than a ceremonial gesture. The ceremonial gesture was the handshakes that came before this snippet.
Highly offensive behavior again by this guy. First he bows to the despot King Of Saudi Arabia, then two days after Veterans Day, bows again to the Emperor Of Japan.
Another finger in the eye to our servicemen, past and present.
Totally agree with Mel Williams’s comment that it’s more “… an ‘acknowledgement’ bow… .” to something that was said. If it was an “actual” bow, Kissinger would have followed suit.
No more trenchant indication of the Reds’ panic could possibly be found.
IT’S NOT A BOW AT ALL:
NIXON HAD BEEN WITH MAO FOR A WHILE (AT LEAST 1:32) AND ALREADY AND SHAKEN HIS HAND.
NIXON IS ACKNOWLEDGING A COMPLIMENT THAT MAO MADE THRU THE INTERPRETER.
Seems to me Neo has it right — Just keep asking “do you want to emulate Nixon? Really? You really do? Will you be doing petty burglaries too? And coverups?”
Obama truly is clueless. F
A lib buddy of mine mentioned this, as well as a bow by Eisenhower. Any insight on that?!?
Eisenhower, don’t buy it.
I think there was real Nixon bow in Japan once, but again… just because ‘someone’ else did it, it doesn’t make it ok.
Actually, Eisenhower bowed often — NOT to sell out our country like Obama, but to indicate respect, as can be seen here:
http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/11/dwight-d-eisenhower-bowing-hour.html
Of course, it’s different when Ike does it. Just as it’s a very different thing when Nixon bows to the Red Chinese, because he was FIGHTING communism, not attempting to bring it to America.
Furthermore, regardless of what treasonous leftards say, it couldn’t have been less similar to Obama’s disgusting, sissy-boy bend-over when Bush did this:
http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/26472.html
Why are these gestures not at all like Obama’s treasonous bow? Because… SHUT UP, that’s why!
I went to the Link, showing the Eisenhower bows. Those are, as with Nixon’s, not even remotely comparable to The Won’s subservient, eyes at the ground, 90 degree, right angle, bow from the waist.
Eisenhower was giving a respectful polite head nod with a very slight bending of his back. With the female his gesture was reminiscent of the days when a gentlemen would actually kiss her hand as a sign of respect when he took her hand in his. With the othes, you see a lot of mutual – eye-to-eye, joint head nods.
Not….Even…..Close.
Nice try, leftist assholes.
And yes of course we have the obligatory comparision to Bush and photos of him doing various huggy-kissy things with foreign leaders. And so….because Bush did some cringe-worthy stuff TOO, President Empty Suit gets a free pass?
I guess that is how Leftist assholes can justify Obama’s keeping evil Gitmo open when he promised its immediate closure, and keeping the evil Patriot Act wire tap and other provisions in place, because now Boy Wonder is in office, we no longer need things like anti-war marches, or concerns over Fed overreaching.
“Look at BUSH!!. Bush did it TOOOO.”
WELL then. That sure shows US, doesn’t it! Put in our place again by the smart kids.
“because Bush did some cringe-worthy stuff TOO, President Empty Suit gets a free pass?”
Ah, so year zero starts at the inauguration. This would mean 9/11 can finally be assigned to George H.W. Bush’s idiot son instead of Clinton. OK, deal.
Think hard about if you really want to make THAT deal, sport.
If so, under your “deal” President Boy Wonder inherited NOTHING bad from Bush, right? It is ALL his.
If 9-11 is all Bush and had nothing to do with Clinton…..fine. You got it, pal. The deficit, the recession, the Afghan war – you name it – Boy Wonder owns it ALL from day one.
But alas – no can do. Because that would be 180 degrees contrary to the White House’s non-stop political strategy since day one, which consists almost entirely of blaming every single problem on Bush.
No matter what Obama does, any criticism can be reflected back on Bush. Even if he is called out for something like obsequiously bowing at the waist to the guy who “came on down to the Missouri to surrender.”
I assume that in the fetid swamps of Lefty world, there is also a search going on for any photos of Bush ALSO engaging in a crotch salute as the anthem is played or the flag passes by. And if they can’t find one, maybe there is one of Richard Nixon doing it. So THERE! Lookie at NIXON, wingnuts! The kool kidz win again!
I now understand Bush Derangement Syndrome completely… because I have developed a bad case of ODS and everything the man says and does deeply offends me.
This just shows how pathetic and terrified the Reds really are, that they scoured video clips back to Woodrow Wilson to try to find something to make the Messiah look less bad.
You people are hilarious with your Zapruder film-like comparative analyses of presidential bows to foreign leaders over the years and evolving rationalizations for why Obama’s bow is SOOO MUCH worse.
You follow politics a little too closely, resent the current jackass in chief a little too much, and made a knee jerk reaction without any knowledge of history; own up to it and move on.
Oh, cut southernjames some slack, Justin. It’s not really his fault – research shows that lots of meth causes the user to obsess over trifles.
You people are hilarious with your Zapruder film-like comparative analyses of presidential bows to foreign leaders over the years and evolving rationalizations for why Obama’s bow is SOOO MUCH worse.
Another leftist trying to find his ass by staring at his crotch. It’s the LEFT that posted this Mao-Nixon tidbit, after ransacking the film archives for the past 5 decades to find something – ANYTHING – to show that Obama’s idiocy is not sui generis. Their President Noahbama is lying drunk and naked on the floor, and they’re gingerly averting their eyes while they try to drag a blanket over his loins.
The only foolishness here is your criticism.
These are insane people that need to be locked up their own good.
We tried giving people liberty, and all they do with it is to choose the path of evil and darkness.
At least the Afghans and Iraqis try to make a better world with what they got. THe Left does not even try. They waste their lives and their inheritances. It’s time it was all taken away from them, for the greater good.
The Left would spit in the Emperor of Japan’s face. They did it to the Vietnam veterans. That’s what they are. The bottom 25% of humanity. If their euthanasia policies ever came to fruition, an objective death panel would get rid of much of that population for the good of us all. Unfortunately, they intend to have their bought and paid for political whores sit on that panel, choosing to kill people they don’t like. That’s their version of justice.
It’s entirely reasonable for US Presidents to bow. Or kiss Saudi princes on the cheek.
The Left lies all the time. Before you know it, they’ll start saying outing CIA secrets is patriotic. And then claim that Valerie Plame was outed.
They can’t change. They are a bunch of racist, parochial, numb nuts that aren’t worth a bit of good to human progress.
They have no interest in learning about other cultures. They’re happy with their Hollywood and democratic socialist panel of Neros and Caligulas. They actually believe their stupid village idiot propaganda and insane lobotomy induced delusions that the Japanese regularly bow to each like Obama did.
They’re no good. You can’t make anything out of em. Give it up.
Oh, and I remember when Bush was holding hands with the Saudi king. A lot of vocal conservatives didn’t think it was reasonable or appropriate at all – I thought it was sick and stupid. I thought a lot of Bush’s blunders stemmed from sentimentality – playing kissyface with the Saudis, pet names for foreign leaders, and gushing about seeing Putin’s soul in his eyes. It seemed to me like a modern bastardization of the old-world policy of dynastic marriages; as if foriegn heads of state being pals would magically translate into good relations. It didn’t work for Bush, and Obama seems to think that he’s the one who can make the magic work.
You’re seriously all het up about the Obama bow to the emperor of Japan? Thanks, SAB, for injecting some honesty in a sad piece and comment thread.
I don’t know why the leftards simply DON’T GET IT. When Obama bows to a foreign leader, it is a vicious insult to America and all those who love her. Why? Because OBAMA HATES AMERICA. How much more damned obvious can this be? I actually used to think that some left wingers were intelligent, but misguided. Now I know the truth: they are all stupid.
EVERY ACTION OBAMA TAKES should be viewed through The Filter of Truth. He LOATHES America and all real Americans, so even when he makes a choice that SEEMS reasonable, his hatred proves otherwise. Don’t be fooled, patriots!
Here’s an example of what I mean. If George Bush rushed into a burning house to rescue a baby, his action would be truly heroic. Because Bush IS a hero, despite lying libs who would tell you otherwise. He would SAVE that baby, being a good and noble man, and would humbly refuse credit for his deed.
If Obama ran into that same blazing building, it would be to CHEAT the infant of a quick, merciful death in order to MURDER him SLOWLY in an America that he has transformed into a SOCIALIST HELL. Imagine that child, grown into adulthood beaten down by Obama’s hatred, forced to live a life tainted by the perpetual stench of COMMUNISM. Better he should perish a true American’s death in his cradle, rather than suffer such a “rescue.”
Oh I don’t know Jorsh. Maybe a better example of meth addiction would be the pathetic need for Lefty trolls to pop in to a site like this for a little ad hominem snark, before popping back out to Kos or DU.
Or perhaps it would be a lefty troll devoting all sorts of pointless time and energy into composing a lame parody of what a Lefty thinks is a typical conservative point of view, like Elmo does. Even though nobody on this site has ever posted anything remotely close to what he posted at 2:47 p.m. I suppose that is what passes for “wit” in lefty world these days. Bet the kool kidz are rolling in the aisles over that one, Elmo! Elmo, you should write for SNL!
As respects the Boy King bowing at the waist incident, we see a familiar pattern, which repeats itself over and over again.
1. Conservatives express disgust.
2. Leftys expend endless time and all sorts of energy to dig up something they then proclaim to be the exact same thing a previous president did.
“Look, wingnuts! There’s Teddy Roosevelt bowing to the Czar of Russia! So there!”
3. Conservative response. A head bob is not the same as a 90 degree bow at the waist. But nice try. Oh, and unlike you mindless zombies who appear to literally worship President Xerxes, we don’t view our politicians as a Man God; most of us were, in fact, very disgusted by a LOT of crap W did, including kissy facing the Saudi. Point out W’s stupid blunders as way of excusing Obamas? That’s our excellent NEA public education at work.
Here’s an example for you: that disaster of a nomination, Harriet Meiers, is not on the supreme court due to conservatives howling over W’s nomination, and not due to anything you kool kidz did. You’re welcome.
4. Leftys – uh oh. Not winning argument, so…it’s misdirection combined with ad hominem time! “Oh gee — WHY oh WHY are you so “all HEPPED UP” and ENRAGED by an unimportant little nothing bow!! You wingnuts are unhinged!”
LOL.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
The Leftists don’t feel offended by the Obama cow bow because they hate this country as much as he does. They don’t feel insulted. They’d prefer terrorists to only kill Republicans.
With their ACORn child prostitution rings, Congressional prostitution rings, Hollywood rape supporters, Union thugs and criminals, organized crime enforcers, the Left believes they got enough firepower to win this fight on their terms.
That’s what the Democrats thought in the South, too. Except this time, they won’t have the entire population of the South to use as cannon fodder. Just the blacks and the various other plantation chained minorities and guilty white libs.