Everyone Has a Man-Crush on King Abdullah

2 years ago

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Obama bows to the Saudi King and it's the hot pic of the day.

Power Line has the standard right-wing critique and I don't disagree:

What's wrong with this picture? Americans do not bow to royalty. In my view, when the royal is the ruling tyrant of a despotic regime, the wrong is compounded. Putting aside the breach of American protocol, it is akin to Jimmy Carter succumbing to Brezhnev's infamous kiss at the signing of the arms accord in Vienna in 1979. It is a disgrace. As in Carter's case, Obama's supplicant attitude signifies his spirit. In this respect I distinguish it from George Bush's otherwise embarrasing handholding with the the king.

But many thoughts, including mine, immediately went to by far the most disturbing image of the Bush Administration:

I mean what is it with this King Abdullah guy? Apparently everyone loses all sense of not only protocol, but what dudes should and should not do. I think it's fair to declare that our relationship with Saudi Arabia is not going to "change". Going back to Obama's deep bow, note that the ruling monarch of a country with which we share a language, culture, and history gets a quick head nod. Queen Elizabeth is left wondering, what does he got? Oil?

Or is this all just a Rahm Emmanuel plot to mess with the "Obama is a secret Muslim" guys? But I guess the most important question is: Did King Abdullah get an iPod too?

Filed Under: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Foreign Policy

Tagged: abdullah, bow, obama, protocol, saudi arabia, SaudiArabia

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