Obama knows that you kill more flies with honey than vinegar, social graces goes a long way, he is a tall man and the Emperor is very short so the bow looked exaggerated, we killed thousands of people when we bombed Hiroshima, so he knew what he was doing, he is a president of peace and he knows what to do when bowing comes handy. Obama is going to be criticized no matter what he does, I am not worry about, I am glad he did it.

"The Cloward/Piven Strategy is named after Columbia University sociologists Richard Andrew Cloward and Frances Fox Piven. Their goal is to overthrow capitalism by overwhelming the government bureaucracy with entitlement demands. The created crisis provides the impetus to bring about radical political change".......Is that the change he was talking about?

A bow means different things in the US and in Japan. In the US , it means subservience; in Japan it is a respectful greeting.

Obama was showing his understanding of the culture (like GWB did when he kissed the Saudi leaders and walk with them hand in hand)

I asked someone I know that has met the Emperor personally while he was visiting the White house, in the past. Her family has contact with the Emperor in Japan as well. Her mother is in Japan now, and says no one is even talking about it, it's a non-issue. She says the Emperor is always smiling. The Japanese don't expect Americans to follow tradition perfectly, just to make the attempt. They considered Cheney very disrespectful when he didn't bow at all.

The Japanese know they are talking to the man with his finger on the button, he doesn't need to grimace and pound his chest. They also know how militaristic the US people are.

Oba Mao certainly knows his standing. When bowing to someone of higher social status, a deeper, longer bow indicates respect. Conversely, a small head nod is casual and informal. However, most Japanese do not expect foreigners to know proper bowing rules and so a nod of the head is usually sufficient.

Thats right lets not respect the customs of other countries. A bow is a sign of respect and greeting, not a capitulation. After 8 years of lies and name calling i do believe some find it hard to witness and understand either. Diplomacy, mannersand intelligence have now entered the WH.

People of all political parties, we are at war. Stop trying to pick on every little thing our President does and show your support in this time of major conflicts.
I think all who create B.S. about our president at this time should be tried for treason.
We are at war people so get it together!

Good lawd...

Really? You guys really get pissy over this sort of thing? And the big issues just fly right past ya with out a blink of your eye.

Incredible.

President Obama understands cultures and makes it a point to show respect by observing these customs at the appropriate times.

Lets just imagine, that you are visiting Japan, it is the custom, when meeting someone in that country, to bow. Its just like shaking hands, like we do here in this country. I would venture to say, that while on your trip to Japan, you would probably refuse to do such a thing, there by reenforcing the notion, that Americans are rude fools. To hold on to this, by saying, "Americans don't bow" is just perpetuating the myth about Americans. We need to show that we are worldly and that we understand other cultures, its a sign of intelligence. Hell, Ive even done it myself, when meeting the Ambas. from Japan when he was visiting my area a few years back, the request came from the board of directors of the company I was at, and also from the university that he was visiting. The thinking on it was, it would make a good impression and make him feel welcome.

As usual with you guys, much ado about nothing.

to the eternal Obama apologists who think this guy can do no wrong,, he looked like one of those plastic ducks bobbing in the little whirlpools at your annual fair. He probably needed a trip to the chiropractor after all those quick pops of the neck.

It tells me he's so eager to fit into customs which he & his handlers are totally unaware of he oversteps & looks foolish. One foot lower & he would have performed a Lewinsky on the emperor. SNL could have fun with that one.

No worries apologists,, he's blown just about every single meeting he's had with foreign diplomats,, keep covering his tracks though,, this inexperienced clown needs all the help he can get.....

Japan attacked the USA...........
NEVER BOW to them EVER!

The Brave armed forces of the USA defeated them.
May PEARL HARBOR never be forgotten EVER!

WAKE UP those who can't remember History!

Hmmmmmmmm
how young are you?

try talking to your grandparents about the history of America.
course if you were hatched, then read up and crow about something esle.

This 2-bit thug president is screwing up the USA - imo
imo = in my opinion

Hmmmmm if they bow and not shake hands?
How did SARS come to be the nasty cold spread everywhere in 2006.
Swine flu from MEXICO.......WAKE THE HECK UP!

Those countries are not like the USA, you can't complain against their gov't there...........or your going to jail faster you can blink an eye!

I say that to all who voted for bama = YOU WILL regret it!

I spent some time in Japan and have great respect for their customs. I have bowed to my Japanese hosts, my Japanese guests and other Japanese that I met. However, I first learned somnething about bowing. A Japanese bow, whether formal or informal, is never combined with a handshake. You can do either one and the Japanese will accept your choice. To combine the two is to demonstrate an almost complete lack of knowledge of Japanese customs. Did President Obaama even listen to his State Department protocol advisers? Or have the professionals been replaced by members of his Chicago gang?

The traditional salutation in Japan is a bow. The deeper the bow, the greater the respect. The traditional greeting in the U.S. is a handshake. In the photo seen 'round the world, President Obama is greeting Emperor Akihito of Japan in the tradition of the Japanese. At the same time, Emperor Akihito is shown greeting President Obama with a traditional U.S. welcome... a handshake. I don't get what all the fuss is about. The photo clearly shows mutual respect between the President and the Emperor.

Now, here is my question for all the people confused and angered by this mutual show of respect: Why are you all up in arms about President Obama bowing in respect per the Japanese tradition, but nobody is bitching because Emperor Akihito is shaking President Obama's hand per American tradition? Why is one act of respect okay, while the other one deemed offensive? We need to check our egocentric, small minds at the door and learn something about the world, and differentiate acts of respect vs acts of submission.

For the record, people: President Obama was not bowing in submission to another person. Also on the record, it is formal etiquette for gentlemen to bow upon making the acquaintance of a lady. So if President Obama bows to Her Majesty, the Queen, he is being a gentleman, not acting like a bloody peasant.

OK. I understand the meaning of bleeding heart liberals. I used to be one before I came to grips as to how asinine the thoughts were. The two bombs were dropped to save American lives. Many Grandfathers were saved to come back to America and their wives and children who now have the grandkids. What part of America was attacked don't you get? Our generals figured we would lose hundreds of thousands of American lives had we attempted to finish of their homeland. It was an easy decision, and by the way the Japs and Germans were very close to having the bombs first. Do you think America would have escaped nuclear bombings? Give it a break.......