Nov 17, 2009

Criticism of President Obama reaches a new height of pettiness


Just when you thought the criticism of President Obama can’t get any more petty and ridiculous, right-wingers go out and surprise you.

The irrational hatred of the President knows no bounds, and something as simple as urging students to stay in school and achieve is suspect.

Now, the teabaggers are upset with the way President Obama greeted Japanese Emperor Akihito on the President’s Asia trip. Former weatherman and current rightwing tool Steve Doocy on “fox and friends” claimed that "dating back to the very founding of this Republic, American leaders do not bow to leaders of other countries,” and he called it “unprecedented.”

Like every other thing on the propaganda arm of the GOP, that is simply false, and the fact is several past Presidents have bowed while greeting foreign leaders.

Former President Richard Nixon bowed while meeting the Japanese Emperor in 1971 in Alaska at the first visit of a Japanese Emperor to America.

Former President Dwight Eisenhower bowed to French President Charles De Gaulle, as shown by a September 2, 1959 Associated Press photo.

The bow was apparently done incorrectly, but it was neither “unprecedented” nor a sign of weakness.

4 comments:

Not Anonymous said...

Nixon was wrong for bowing, however slight of a bow it was. Ike was wrong for bowing. Obama has now bowed twice when he shouldn't have. John Adams bowed three times to the English King following the Revolution when he was appointed Ambassasor. Those three times were in the same approach to the King. That too was wrong.

However, what makes it worse with Obama is not the fact that he bowed to the Saudi King and now to the Japan Emporer, but he bad mouths the United States in various speeches around the world.

He's called the United States arrogant among other things in his record number of first year travels. That is not just inappropriate, but cowardly. Now, he's begging the Chinese today for more money and not to stop buying our Treasury Bonds.

The headline with the picture of him bowing in Japan asked how low can he go. I'm afraid we're finding out each and every day. Even today ABC news has a story out about the White House's claim of jobs saved and created....in congressional districts that don't exist.

How low can he go? God help us, but we're probably going to find out.

Communications guru said...

I don’t see how following another country's customs and showing respect is wrong. But I’m glad you admitted fox “news” and steve doofus was lying when it said it was unprecedented.

The President has never “bad mouthed” the United States, anonymous.

How low can he go? Well, I know he can’t start a needless war based on lies, allow the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history to occur on his watch or plunge the country into the worst recession since the Great Depression just to name a few examples.

Not Anonymous said...

You're very good at twisting words but very poor at any sort of tolerance of any one elses opinions.

I didn't admit that Fox lied, nor Steve Doocey. Those are your words, not mine.

I gave you just one example of Obama bad mouthing the United States. The only thing you had to say was that he didn't bad mouth the U.S. Apparently, you believe that it's okay for an American President to say disparaging things about this country to others on their soil.

So you're one of those that believes that Bush is responsible for the attacks. I already knew you were weird not getting your wife health insurance (even though we're getting our first example of Obamacare telling women they'll have to start waiting until 50 to get mammograms), but congratulations. You just took a giant leap off the reality train by claiming that an attack on this country less than 8 months into a Presidency is the Presidents fault. It is good to know that you blame Obama for the attack at Fort Hood a week ago.

You are way beyond rational. You make a "Space cadet" seem like a term of endearment.

Communications guru said...

I didn’t twist anything, anonymous, and if I was intolerant of other people’s opinions I certainly would not allow you to spout your lies and personal attack here and I would simply ban you like rightwing blogs do.

You said Nixon and Ike were wrong for bowing; I disagree, but that’s beside the point. You said they bowed, and doofy said no president had ever bowed and it was unprecedented. So, who is lying? You or steve doofy?

No, you didn’t give me an example of “Obama bad mouthing the United States.” How is a terrorist attack on the U.S. the same as a deranged man murdering people? A tradition I learned in the Navy is that when you say I relieve you, what happens on your watch is your responsibility. Perhaps you’re right about Bush; the buck doesn’t stop anywhere near his desk.

I’ll ignore the personal attack from an anonymous tool. But thank you for the compliment, coming from the likes of you, anonymous, it means a lot.