When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
69 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Granny
15 years ago
They remind of nothing quite so much as a pair of unruly children who do not yet know how to mind their Ps and Qs and thus are left at home with the nanny when the grownups go visiting.
Prairie
15 years ago
Holy Shiat – Obama bowing WTH???? Then again he is from Chicago – did the Sandi King check to see if he still has his Rolex??
Catherine
15 years ago
Gateway has the video.
Now me being a woman I can tell you the look on the Queens face as she pulls away from bho wife was not her being to friendly.
As for bho bowing to this arab can’t say what I think about this.
Well since he is just the ACTING president, who cares. Now if TOTUS did this, it would be another story. Barry Soereto is just proving himself to be some stupid Fascist interloper.
We should start a count down clock top when America can stand tall once again.
Raymond in DC
15 years ago
Anyone else find it ironic that the US leader gives the British sovereign an iPod… made in China? And, yes, their ignorance of international etiquette shows that, despite their pretensions, they are not this generation’s Kennedys.
Hard Right
15 years ago
Wonder if he bowed to Ayers in the same way?
luva the scissors
15 years ago
jesus, even i know you don’t touch the queen, and i also know about the bowing thing. who the hell do the obama’s think they are? are they so arrogant that they think that they can do anything to anyone and it will be acceptable because they are the OBAMA’S? this is like standing up at a wedding and announcing that you screwed the groom or something. what bad manners.
albyinseattle
15 years ago
Maybe it’s one of those gestures that you make towards a guest when you’re kindly ushering them to the door? The Obama’s are inexperienced in dealing with dignitaries because they’re used to being the center of attention.
As for bowing to the Saud, maybe Mr. President went to kiss his ring…oh wait that’s what you do with the Pope, danggit can’t keep this sh– straight!
joecitizen
15 years ago
ya such a bunch of elitist snobs. Why dont you go live in Europe if you love this protocol horse manure so much. Barack is one of us – yeah, a low-rent Yank.
Suck on it.
If I was Obama, I would fire who ever is running the State Dept and “helping” him look like a good. Oh…that is Hillary. Makes you wonder if this is sabatoge or she might be just as inapt as the O-man is. She is the one who ask who painted the Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Those hardly compare to obama’s unending string so far.
ObamaIsASadJoke
15 years ago
Bitter Scribe- Bush is not our president anymore, what a weak attempt at changing the subject.
Nope, it’s preznit karaoke stomping around the planet looking like a complete dolt.
For some reason our dummy in chief seems intent on screwing up our oldest alliance with the UK. Plastic helicopters and non-functioning cheapskate dvds to a legally blind PM were pathetic enough…now this arse hands the Queen of England a MePod jammed with pictures and speeches of himself? Sad sad sad.
Stupid, stupid, classless buffoon. Him and his hulking, brutish, nominally female wife are shockingly awful.
2012 can’t get here soon enough.
Bitter Scribe
15 years ago
OK, Hard Right. The next time someone pukes on your lap, or grabs your neck from behind, you can turn to them and say, “Well, that hardly compares to Obama’s string.”
Bitter Scribe
15 years ago
Hey, ObamaIsASadJoke, I’m impressed you even remember Bush was our president! Most of you guys seem to have Busheimer’s disease–where you can’t remember anything between 2000 and 2008.
@Raymond in DC: The Kennedy’s had style and class. Barack and Michelle have style and crass.
@joecitizen: Something tells me you used to point fingers at President Bush every time he made a slip up. Sucks being you as now the shoe is on the other foot.
@Bitter Scribe: See comment to joe nobody above.
ObamaIsASadJoke
15 years ago
Oh, I remember the time between 2000 and 2008. I particularly remember when pelosi became majority leader in that time span. From that day of infamy to the end of 2008 the dow dropped about 4,000 points and unemployment nearly doubled. But we digress.
The ad hominem try in your latest post came as quite a surprise. I mean, a liberal resorting to personal attacks when getting pummeled in an argument, that’s so……unexpected.
But to review- Bush isn’t our president. The stuttering, economy wrecking, worldwide joke and imbecile obama is.
In addition to working extra hard to ruin the US/UK relationship, the idiot in chief has also enraged the Czechs and Poles, been mocked by the taliban, North Korea, Iran, and Russia and done such clever things as enthuse about being in the capital of Canada- or as he said, Iowa.
Preznit Karaoke is a stupid, stupid, buffoonish idiot with the social graces of a rabid jackal. You can try to equivocate, you can try ad hominem, you can do whatever you want- but the halfwit in chief is proving my point on a near daily basis.
Yes, SadJoke, our standing in the world is much worse now than it was when Bush was running things!
Remember the “coalition of the willing”? Talk about a sad joke. How many countries dropped out? Who was left, Tonga or something like that?
Sorry if your feelings were hurt by the “ad hominem attack.” I guess it would be better to adopt the conservative style: Call someone a stupid buffoonish idiot and declare that you’ve thereby won the argument.
ObamaIsASadJoke
15 years ago
Bitter Scribe- that whole reading for comprehension thing just didn’t work out for you, did it?
Yet again- third time – Bush is no longer in any public office. The teleprompter messiah is now our president. I notice you didn’t take the time to refute any of the countries I mentioned that barky has screwed up in, but instead tried to invoke the bogus Bush comparison.
Again.
And failed. Again.
Coalition of the willing- not relevant here. Another swing and a miss on the Bush misdirection try.
Again – we are talking about the nitwit infesting our White House, and the utterly ridiculous and arrogant gift of a MePod chock full o’ barry’s greatest teleprompter readings was.
Your weak ad hominem attack did not hurt my feelings. It was just that you so easily and so pitifully lived down to expectation- when you can’t attack the argument, attack the arguer… so boringly typical of liberals like yourself. Yawn.
As I was saying- the reading for comprehension stuff isn’t really your thing, now is it? I called the unfortunate clown we have as president a stupid buffoonish idiot, not you. But never let the facts get in the way of what you think is a righteous and frothy retort, eh sparky?
Perhaps you’re used to these sorts of epithets thrown your way and just naturally assumed I was speaking about you, who knows?
Or cares.
BarbaraS
15 years ago
Bitterscript
This is conservative style? My memory is totally different from yours. I could have sworn this tactic was the left’s favorite. You know. Isolate and destroy. We put up with 8 years of trashing Bush for every little thing. It’s now Obama’s turn. Oh, you people suddenly realized what you sowed and tried to get us to “all get along”. When that didn’t work you stated trashing Bush again. At least George and Laura Bush knew protocol. The media didn’t get many faux pas on this level but now the Obamas are crashing and burning on all fronts the media with their total love for the Obamas ignores these fumbles and they just keep going and goind and going.
Deal with it. You elected an idiot who knows nothing about much of anything except what he sees in the mirror. It’s all about him and always will be.
Holy crap, he could have given the queen a quart of mad dog 20/20 or old thunderbird……
I had to steal the photo of these ……… there is not enough shame………..
ObamaIsASadJoke
15 years ago
@19 – thank you, Mike’s America. Just trying to take out the trash.
Cary
15 years ago
From EVERY report I’ve seen (saving this one), the queen reciprocated Mrs. Obama’s affection, and considered their visit a delightful one. With all due respect, Mike, seems like you’re stretching a bit.
Bitter Scribe
15 years ago
Oh, SadJoke, you’ll never make it to 2012. Obama Derangment Syndrome will make your brain explode long before then. Toodle-oo.
I’d loan you my shovel but it looks like you don’t need it.
Thanks for freeing up some of my time to concentrate on moonbats elsewhere.
It seems this post really brought them out of the woodwork.
Maybe it’s just a convenient diversion for them as they don’t seem as eager to strut their stuff on my thread on Obama raising taxes on the poor blacks who smoke.
Ooops! Spoke too soon. I see King of the Kool Aid Drinkers, ole Larry is over there serving up his Obamatonic right now:
Obviously someone hotlinked FA over at Kos, or a preschool, or something.
Can you imagine the spittle flecked monitors and keyboards?
The pullulating pustules are always amusing.
PB
15 years ago
I keep wondering when we will finally see the lowest point of this administration. I guess I will have to keep wondering.
Perception is everything on the word stage. Our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution are documents of rejection to scraping and bowing before a tyrant. The act our president bowing, as low as Obama did, to another head of state will be perceived by the rest of the world as our surrender to a superior state.
Will our flag, now, fly lower than the Saudi’s? If the Saudi king visits the US will they play the Saudi national anthem and not ours? Who is next? Will he bow to the Russians? The Iranians, the North Koreans?
I understand foreign protocol. When I greet friends or customers from overseas, I will give a slight bow or nod, depending on the situation, as a sign of respect. But, I will not bow lower than the person I am meeting. To do so signals your acknowledgement that you are less than the person you bow to.
Everyone knows that Obama has been looking for people to say a pledge. Here is my pledge, “I will never bow, scrape, nor kneel before another human.”
Actually, the reason the protocol is in place is from ancient times when the monarch was believed to have a healing touch, and thus was to be used sparingly. If the Queen herself doesn’t seem to mind, it seems quite silly for the rest of us, especially on the other side of the pond, to be making such an issue of it. Quite a different issue from letting the flag touch the ground. So, you’re right, I’ve totally missed the point, whatever one there may be.
@Cary: Did you expect the Queen to embarrass her guests just because THEY don’t have manners? She’s too classy for that and unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be rubbing off on Michelle’s crassness.
You have a point. If it did bother the Queen, she probably wouldn’t let on. I guess my point really should be that, with everything else going on, I myself don’t think that this such a huge deal. The protocol is rooted, not out of respect, but superstition. America’s relationship with Britain is not high on my worry list. I’d be surprised if were actually so on yours, too. =)
On it’s own, Michelle’s faux pas isn’t that big of a deal. But it’s the compound effect of ALL the slights and missteps that the Obies have taken, especially in regard to our greatest and most stalwart ally.
Funny how libs worried endlessly about the quality of our relationships with other nations and now pooh pooh the very idea that such things are important.
When you ask ” America’s relationship with Britain is not high on my worry list. I’d be surprised if were actually so on yours, too. =)” you couldn’t be more wrong. As a student of history, and a particular fan of Winston Churchill (I’ve even visited his house in Kent) I am keenly aware of the importance of the “special relationship” a phrase Churchill coined, and understand how that relationship is being deliberately downgraded by Obama.
Obama is telling our best allies, like Britain, Poland and the Czech Republic to take a back seat. Presumably to make room for some new friends like????
You may not spend much time worrying about foreign affairs Cary, but you may regret that indifference in the future.
I’m not indifferent at all, Mike, I just don’t agree that our relationship with Britain is in jeopardy over a poorly thought out gift. I defended Bush from some of my friends who went nuts over his faux pas, pointing out that anyone who leads their life under a constant microscope is bound to have their flaws magnified. Same goes for Obama. As God like as you may think we think he is, he’s still human. Hopefully, he’ll think out his gifts a bit better in the future!
I hope the Queen enjoys her ipod more than the ill fitting underwear my lovely grandmother used to get me for Christmas!
Why should a President of the US bow to any Queen? The US wanted to break away from all that crap.
And not touching the Queen is also laughable – she’s not made of ice nor is she any different from any other human being. No wonder she is so out of touch if people treat like she is somehow special and better than the rest of us – only down to the fact she happened to be born into the royal family.
As for an Ipod. That is a poor gift for an 82 year old. She gets tons of junk. It may be historic – but it would be better if they do away with the whole swapping of gift thing.
On it’s own, Michelle’s faux pas isn’t that big of a deal. But it’s the compound effect of ALL the slights and missteps that the Obies have taken, especially in regard to our greatest and most stalwart ally.
No one said that Obama should have bowed to the Queen.
Quite the contrary actually.
We all know that an American President shouldn’t bow to anyone. Apparently Obie didn’t get that memo prior to meeting the Saudi king.
As to whether an 82 year old would enjoy an iPod, it’s common knowledge that the Queen already had her own prior to this.
Ageism much?
Sappho
15 years ago
You really should read the information you present before attempting to interpret it. What she said, and what you quoted, was:
“For me, the iPod only works if he has some catchy reason why he gave it as a gift”
And, guess what? He did. In fact, he had two … or three (this is turning into a Monty Python sketch!) Firstly, it was requested by the Queen; secondly, it was a companion piece to the rare songbook that the Obamas also gave and was loaded with show tunes by a composer the Queen likes (her favourite musical is Oklahoma!); thirdly, the Queen is known to like techie gadgets and bought herself an iPod a few years ago. That gives it the “catchy reason” that Ms Post required.
In terms of the hug, the Queen initiated it and she did not “pull away” as you have suggested. It was unprecedented but suggests that the Queen is, in fact, very taken with Michelle Obama. Further, the Queen is reported to have asked Michelle to keep in touch with her now that they have met.
@GaffaUK: No one suggested Obie bow to the Queen. Didn’t you read what I said in the post? No previous president has EVER bowed to another foreign leader that any of us are aware of until this week.
As for not touching the Queen. Them’s the rules. Otherwise, when she dubs newly minted knights with the sword they might be tempted to return the favor and who knows what misfortune might occur.
@Sappho: Put down the Kool Aid. You’ve had enough.
-Liz already has an iPod. What makes you think she wanted another. Do you have a link? Did she also request Obama’s speeches?
– Liz likes techie gadgets? News to me. I was reading Paul Burrell’s book “A Royal Duty.” Burrell was the personal footman to Her Majesty before joining Princess Diana’s household. Liz has a small radio and a television set. That and a phone. She did get a cell phone and an iPod, but I would never call her a “techie.”
-As for the hug, Liz may have mistaken Michelle for one of her maids and just needed to make sure the Corgis got their walkies on time. No excuse for Michelle to violate protocol.
Well, there’s a really good reason never to touch, then.
Sappho
15 years ago
Hi Mike
>>> Liz already has an iPod. What makes you think she wanted another. >>>
She bought hers in 2005 and it is not a video model. This new one is.
Do you have a link? <<>> Did she also request Obama’s speeches? >>>
That I can’t tell you but she can always delete them if she doesn’t want them.
>>> Liz likes techie gadgets? News to me. I was reading Paul Burrell’s book “A Royal Duty.” Burrell was the personal footman to Her Majesty before joining Princess Diana’s household. Liz has a small radio and a television set. That and a phone. She did get a cell phone and an iPod, but I would never call her a “techie.” >>>
Actually, I didn’t call her a “techie”, I said that she liked techie gadgets. Not the same thing at all. Given that Paul Burrell, as you say, left the Queen’s service during Diana, Princess of Wales’ time, he may not have been aware of the Queen’s more recent interests.
‘The gadget-loving Queen has become HOOKED on Prince William’s new Nintendo Wii games console … In 2001 she got her first mobile phone and has regularly upgraded to one with the latest features … Her Majesty set up her own email account years ago … she [has] added a trendy BlackBerry to her technological armoury …’
>>> No excuse for Michelle to violate protocol. >>>
It’s not a violation if the Queen initiates it, and she did.
‘“I don’t know what went through her head, but if it was me, I would have responded the same way,” etiquette expert Anna Post said of the reception at Buckingham Palace, where the Queen put her hand on Michelle Obama’s back and the first lady responded in kind … [Obama] didn’t make a mistake,” Post said, adding that good etiquette dictates that you absorb the mistake on the other person’s behalf when an actual gaffe is made. “It’s a great example of how manners matter.”‘ http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/features/6356323.html
They remind of nothing quite so much as a pair of unruly children who do not yet know how to mind their Ps and Qs and thus are left at home with the nanny when the grownups go visiting.
Holy Shiat – Obama bowing WTH???? Then again he is from Chicago – did the Sandi King check to see if he still has his Rolex??
Gateway has the video.
Now me being a woman I can tell you the look on the Queens face as she pulls away from bho wife was not her being to friendly.
As for bho bowing to this arab can’t say what I think about this.
Will the Judges do their job?
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/04/forget-queen-obama-bows-to-saudi-leader.html
April 02, 2009
Forget the Queen… Obama Bows to Saudi King! (Video)
UPDATE: Here’s the video of Obama bowing to Saudi King Abdullah:
(At 1:37 mark)
Catherine
Still lost in space
Well since he is just the ACTING president, who cares. Now if TOTUS did this, it would be another story. Barry Soereto is just proving himself to be some stupid Fascist interloper.
We should start a count down clock top when America can stand tall once again.
Anyone else find it ironic that the US leader gives the British sovereign an iPod… made in China? And, yes, their ignorance of international etiquette shows that, despite their pretensions, they are not this generation’s Kennedys.
Wonder if he bowed to Ayers in the same way?
jesus, even i know you don’t touch the queen, and i also know about the bowing thing. who the hell do the obama’s think they are? are they so arrogant that they think that they can do anything to anyone and it will be acceptable because they are the OBAMA’S? this is like standing up at a wedding and announcing that you screwed the groom or something. what bad manners.
Maybe it’s one of those gestures that you make towards a guest when you’re kindly ushering them to the door? The Obama’s are inexperienced in dealing with dignitaries because they’re used to being the center of attention.
As for bowing to the Saud, maybe Mr. President went to kiss his ring…oh wait that’s what you do with the Pope, danggit can’t keep this sh– straight!
ya such a bunch of elitist snobs. Why dont you go live in Europe if you love this protocol horse manure so much. Barack is one of us – yeah, a low-rent Yank.
Suck on it.
If I was Obama, I would fire who ever is running the State Dept and “helping” him look like a good. Oh…that is Hillary. Makes you wonder if this is sabatoge or she might be just as inapt as the O-man is. She is the one who ask who painted the Our Lady of Guadalupe.
http://franklinslocke.blogspot.com/
Joe just dooo not think my president should kiss the feet of some arab guess you do?
you need to go suck it.
Catherine
Maybe if she had vomited on the Queen’s lap, or tried to give her a neck massage, that would have been better?
Those hardly compare to obama’s unending string so far.
Bitter Scribe- Bush is not our president anymore, what a weak attempt at changing the subject.
Nope, it’s preznit karaoke stomping around the planet looking like a complete dolt.
For some reason our dummy in chief seems intent on screwing up our oldest alliance with the UK. Plastic helicopters and non-functioning cheapskate dvds to a legally blind PM were pathetic enough…now this arse hands the Queen of England a MePod jammed with pictures and speeches of himself? Sad sad sad.
Stupid, stupid, classless buffoon. Him and his hulking, brutish, nominally female wife are shockingly awful.
2012 can’t get here soon enough.
OK, Hard Right. The next time someone pukes on your lap, or grabs your neck from behind, you can turn to them and say, “Well, that hardly compares to Obama’s string.”
Hey, ObamaIsASadJoke, I’m impressed you even remember Bush was our president! Most of you guys seem to have Busheimer’s disease–where you can’t remember anything between 2000 and 2008.
@bill-tb: Here’s a date to look forward to:
@Raymond in DC: The Kennedy’s had style and class. Barack and Michelle have style and crass.
@joecitizen: Something tells me you used to point fingers at President Bush every time he made a slip up. Sucks being you as now the shoe is on the other foot.
@Bitter Scribe: See comment to joe nobody above.
Oh, I remember the time between 2000 and 2008. I particularly remember when pelosi became majority leader in that time span. From that day of infamy to the end of 2008 the dow dropped about 4,000 points and unemployment nearly doubled. But we digress.
The ad hominem try in your latest post came as quite a surprise. I mean, a liberal resorting to personal attacks when getting pummeled in an argument, that’s so……unexpected.
But to review- Bush isn’t our president. The stuttering, economy wrecking, worldwide joke and imbecile obama is.
In addition to working extra hard to ruin the US/UK relationship, the idiot in chief has also enraged the Czechs and Poles, been mocked by the taliban, North Korea, Iran, and Russia and done such clever things as enthuse about being in the capital of Canada- or as he said, Iowa.
Preznit Karaoke is a stupid, stupid, buffoonish idiot with the social graces of a rabid jackal. You can try to equivocate, you can try ad hominem, you can do whatever you want- but the halfwit in chief is proving my point on a near daily basis.
@ObamaIsASadJoke: You are ON A ROLL!!!!
Amen!!!
Yes, SadJoke, our standing in the world is much worse now than it was when Bush was running things!
Remember the “coalition of the willing”? Talk about a sad joke. How many countries dropped out? Who was left, Tonga or something like that?
Sorry if your feelings were hurt by the “ad hominem attack.” I guess it would be better to adopt the conservative style: Call someone a stupid buffoonish idiot and declare that you’ve thereby won the argument.
Bitter Scribe- that whole reading for comprehension thing just didn’t work out for you, did it?
Yet again- third time – Bush is no longer in any public office. The teleprompter messiah is now our president. I notice you didn’t take the time to refute any of the countries I mentioned that barky has screwed up in, but instead tried to invoke the bogus Bush comparison.
Again.
And failed. Again.
Coalition of the willing- not relevant here. Another swing and a miss on the Bush misdirection try.
Again – we are talking about the nitwit infesting our White House, and the utterly ridiculous and arrogant gift of a MePod chock full o’ barry’s greatest teleprompter readings was.
Your weak ad hominem attack did not hurt my feelings. It was just that you so easily and so pitifully lived down to expectation- when you can’t attack the argument, attack the arguer… so boringly typical of liberals like yourself. Yawn.
As I was saying- the reading for comprehension stuff isn’t really your thing, now is it? I called the unfortunate clown we have as president a stupid buffoonish idiot, not you. But never let the facts get in the way of what you think is a righteous and frothy retort, eh sparky?
Perhaps you’re used to these sorts of epithets thrown your way and just naturally assumed I was speaking about you, who knows?
Or cares.
Bitterscript
This is conservative style? My memory is totally different from yours. I could have sworn this tactic was the left’s favorite. You know. Isolate and destroy. We put up with 8 years of trashing Bush for every little thing. It’s now Obama’s turn. Oh, you people suddenly realized what you sowed and tried to get us to “all get along”. When that didn’t work you stated trashing Bush again. At least George and Laura Bush knew protocol. The media didn’t get many faux pas on this level but now the Obamas are crashing and burning on all fronts the media with their total love for the Obamas ignores these fumbles and they just keep going and goind and going.
Deal with it. You elected an idiot who knows nothing about much of anything except what he sees in the mirror. It’s all about him and always will be.
Holy crap, he could have given the queen a quart of mad dog 20/20 or old thunderbird……
I had to steal the photo of these ……… there is not enough shame………..
@19 – thank you, Mike’s America. Just trying to take out the trash.
From EVERY report I’ve seen (saving this one), the queen reciprocated Mrs. Obama’s affection, and considered their visit a delightful one. With all due respect, Mike, seems like you’re stretching a bit.
Oh, SadJoke, you’ll never make it to 2012. Obama Derangment Syndrome will make your brain explode long before then. Toodle-oo.
@ObamaIsASadJoke: “Just trying to take out the trash.”
I’d loan you my shovel but it looks like you don’t need it.
Thanks for freeing up some of my time to concentrate on moonbats elsewhere.
It seems this post really brought them out of the woodwork.
Maybe it’s just a convenient diversion for them as they don’t seem as eager to strut their stuff on my thread on Obama raising taxes on the poor blacks who smoke.
Ooops! Spoke too soon. I see King of the Kool Aid Drinkers, ole Larry is over there serving up his Obamatonic right now:
I see Aye’s on the case already!
@Cary:
You’re missing the point. Protocol is there for a reason.
Queen Elizabeth II is the symbolic and titular head of Great Britain and the Commonwealth.
Just like the flag or any other symbol, there is a protocol to ensure proper respect is given to something that means more than what it actually is.
One does not allow a flag to touch the ground, and one does not touch HRH.
@Mike’s America:
Obviously someone hotlinked FA over at Kos, or a preschool, or something.
Can you imagine the spittle flecked monitors and keyboards?
The pullulating pustules are always amusing.
I keep wondering when we will finally see the lowest point of this administration. I guess I will have to keep wondering.
Perception is everything on the word stage. Our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution are documents of rejection to scraping and bowing before a tyrant. The act our president bowing, as low as Obama did, to another head of state will be perceived by the rest of the world as our surrender to a superior state.
Will our flag, now, fly lower than the Saudi’s? If the Saudi king visits the US will they play the Saudi national anthem and not ours? Who is next? Will he bow to the Russians? The Iranians, the North Koreans?
I understand foreign protocol. When I greet friends or customers from overseas, I will give a slight bow or nod, depending on the situation, as a sign of respect. But, I will not bow lower than the person I am meeting. To do so signals your acknowledgement that you are less than the person you bow to.
Everyone knows that Obama has been looking for people to say a pledge. Here is my pledge, “I will never bow, scrape, nor kneel before another human.”
God is the only one I will kneel to.
@Aye Chihuahua:
Actually, the reason the protocol is in place is from ancient times when the monarch was believed to have a healing touch, and thus was to be used sparingly. If the Queen herself doesn’t seem to mind, it seems quite silly for the rest of us, especially on the other side of the pond, to be making such an issue of it. Quite a different issue from letting the flag touch the ground. So, you’re right, I’ve totally missed the point, whatever one there may be.
@Cary: Did you expect the Queen to embarrass her guests just because THEY don’t have manners? She’s too classy for that and unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be rubbing off on Michelle’s crassness.
T”he Kennedy’s had style and class.”
And knew something about punctuation.
@Mike’s America:
You have a point. If it did bother the Queen, she probably wouldn’t let on. I guess my point really should be that, with everything else going on, I myself don’t think that this such a huge deal. The protocol is rooted, not out of respect, but superstition. America’s relationship with Britain is not high on my worry list. I’d be surprised if were actually so on yours, too. =)
Having nothing of any value to add to the topic of the post, the moby with a punctuation error makes fun of a punctuation error.
Heh.
Tactless and always asking for money….sounds like cousin Eddie.
@Cary:
On it’s own, Michelle’s faux pas isn’t that big of a deal. But it’s the compound effect of ALL the slights and missteps that the Obies have taken, especially in regard to our greatest and most stalwart ally.
Funny how libs worried endlessly about the quality of our relationships with other nations and now pooh pooh the very idea that such things are important.
When you ask ” America’s relationship with Britain is not high on my worry list. I’d be surprised if were actually so on yours, too. =)” you couldn’t be more wrong. As a student of history, and a particular fan of Winston Churchill (I’ve even visited his house in Kent) I am keenly aware of the importance of the “special relationship” a phrase Churchill coined, and understand how that relationship is being deliberately downgraded by Obama.
Obama is telling our best allies, like Britain, Poland and the Czech Republic to take a back seat. Presumably to make room for some new friends like????
You may not spend much time worrying about foreign affairs Cary, but you may regret that indifference in the future.
@Mike’s America:
Well, as we learned here, Cary is not strong in history.
@Mike’s America:
I’m not indifferent at all, Mike, I just don’t agree that our relationship with Britain is in jeopardy over a poorly thought out gift. I defended Bush from some of my friends who went nuts over his faux pas, pointing out that anyone who leads their life under a constant microscope is bound to have their flaws magnified. Same goes for Obama. As God like as you may think we think he is, he’s still human. Hopefully, he’ll think out his gifts a bit better in the future!
I hope the Queen enjoys her ipod more than the ill fitting underwear my lovely grandmother used to get me for Christmas!
@Aye Chihuahua:
Nice trick. Sorry Aye, I explained why I was bowing out of that one, and it had nothing to do with my lack of knowledge. So just stop, please.
I’m quite sure Her Majesty will immensely enjoy the opportunity to listen to the O’Bumbler’s speeches on her new iPod.
Why in the HELL would he think that putting his speeches on there would be a good idea?
Why should a President of the US bow to any Queen? The US wanted to break away from all that crap.
And not touching the Queen is also laughable – she’s not made of ice nor is she any different from any other human being. No wonder she is so out of touch if people treat like she is somehow special and better than the rest of us – only down to the fact she happened to be born into the royal family.
As for an Ipod. That is a poor gift for an 82 year old. She gets tons of junk. It may be historic – but it would be better if they do away with the whole swapping of gift thing.
@Cary:
Yeah, and I’m the Queen of England.
@Aye Chihuahua: Great find Aye!
@Cary: Did you ignore what I said above?
I hope you don’t mind if I repeat it:
On it’s own, Michelle’s faux pas isn’t that big of a deal. But it’s the compound effect of ALL the slights and missteps that the Obies have taken, especially in regard to our greatest and most stalwart ally.
@GaffaUK:
No one said that Obama should have bowed to the Queen.
Quite the contrary actually.
We all know that an American President shouldn’t bow to anyone. Apparently Obie didn’t get that memo prior to meeting the Saudi king.
As to whether an 82 year old would enjoy an iPod, it’s common knowledge that the Queen already had her own prior to this.
Ageism much?
You really should read the information you present before attempting to interpret it. What she said, and what you quoted, was:
“For me, the iPod only works if he has some catchy reason why he gave it as a gift”
And, guess what? He did. In fact, he had two … or three (this is turning into a Monty Python sketch!) Firstly, it was requested by the Queen; secondly, it was a companion piece to the rare songbook that the Obamas also gave and was loaded with show tunes by a composer the Queen likes (her favourite musical is Oklahoma!); thirdly, the Queen is known to like techie gadgets and bought herself an iPod a few years ago. That gives it the “catchy reason” that Ms Post required.
In terms of the hug, the Queen initiated it and she did not “pull away” as you have suggested. It was unprecedented but suggests that the Queen is, in fact, very taken with Michelle Obama. Further, the Queen is reported to have asked Michelle to keep in touch with her now that they have met.
Sappho
@GaffaUK: No one suggested Obie bow to the Queen. Didn’t you read what I said in the post? No previous president has EVER bowed to another foreign leader that any of us are aware of until this week.
As for not touching the Queen. Them’s the rules. Otherwise, when she dubs newly minted knights with the sword they might be tempted to return the favor and who knows what misfortune might occur.
@Sappho: Put down the Kool Aid. You’ve had enough.
-Liz already has an iPod. What makes you think she wanted another. Do you have a link? Did she also request Obama’s speeches?
– Liz likes techie gadgets? News to me. I was reading Paul Burrell’s book “A Royal Duty.” Burrell was the personal footman to Her Majesty before joining Princess Diana’s household. Liz has a small radio and a television set. That and a phone. She did get a cell phone and an iPod, but I would never call her a “techie.”
-As for the hug, Liz may have mistaken Michelle for one of her maids and just needed to make sure the Corgis got their walkies on time. No excuse for Michelle to violate protocol.
@Aye Chihuahua:
“Yeah, and I’m the Queen of England”
Well, there’s a really good reason never to touch, then.
Hi Mike
>>> Liz already has an iPod. What makes you think she wanted another. >>>
She bought hers in 2005 and it is not a video model. This new one is.
Do you have a link? <<>> Did she also request Obama’s speeches? >>>
That I can’t tell you but she can always delete them if she doesn’t want them.
>>> Liz likes techie gadgets? News to me. I was reading Paul Burrell’s book “A Royal Duty.” Burrell was the personal footman to Her Majesty before joining Princess Diana’s household. Liz has a small radio and a television set. That and a phone. She did get a cell phone and an iPod, but I would never call her a “techie.” >>>
Actually, I didn’t call her a “techie”, I said that she liked techie gadgets. Not the same thing at all. Given that Paul Burrell, as you say, left the Queen’s service during Diana, Princess of Wales’ time, he may not have been aware of the Queen’s more recent interests.
‘The gadget-loving Queen has become HOOKED on Prince William’s new Nintendo Wii games console … In 2001 she got her first mobile phone and has regularly upgraded to one with the latest features … Her Majesty set up her own email account years ago … she [has] added a trendy BlackBerry to her technological armoury …’
http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=make-way-for-the-q-wii-n%26method=full%26objectid=20276099%26siteid=93463-name_page.html
>>> No excuse for Michelle to violate protocol. >>>
It’s not a violation if the Queen initiates it, and she did.
‘“I don’t know what went through her head, but if it was me, I would have responded the same way,” etiquette expert Anna Post said of the reception at Buckingham Palace, where the Queen put her hand on Michelle Obama’s back and the first lady responded in kind … [Obama] didn’t make a mistake,” Post said, adding that good etiquette dictates that you absorb the mistake on the other person’s behalf when an actual gaffe is made. “It’s a great example of how manners matter.”‘
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/features/6356323.html
Sappho