Thursday
Apr092009
Obama Bows Down to Saudi King! The Controversy Continues....
Thursday, April 9, 2009 at 8:58
Latest Post: Video Alert - Obama Does Not Bow to Saudi King
This blog entry should be considered a very important update on a very important event. In no way should it be seen as a shameless reminder that we have the video of the Obama bow/non-bow to Abdullah.
Full credit to my colleague Ali Yenidunya, who broke the story last Thursday of President Obama's bow of greeting to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and wrote ominously, "One thing we do know is that a younger Muslim always shows utmost respect to an older Muslim in public and is expected to kiss the latter’s hands. Hmm, we should think more about it."
Ali did get the Internet, or at least the right-thinking portion of it, moving.
His challenge, "It is time for Conservapedia to take some action," has been met. Our favourite on-line encyclopedia has updated its entry for Barack Hussein Obama, "Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official."
The Weekly Standard initially fretted, "There’s [a] fawning you’ll never, ever know anything about and that is President Obama’s grovel before Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of the House of Saud," but a few days later, everyone was a-flutter about it (perhaps because The Weekly Standard kept banging on). Heck, even Camille Paglia wrote about it, and apparently she was a really important writer once upon a time.
But now the dramatic revelation: none of this happened. A White House aide says, ""It wasn't a bow. [President Obama] grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah."
This blog entry should be considered a very important update on a very important event. In no way should it be seen as a shameless reminder that we have the video of the Obama bow/non-bow to Abdullah.
Full credit to my colleague Ali Yenidunya, who broke the story last Thursday of President Obama's bow of greeting to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and wrote ominously, "One thing we do know is that a younger Muslim always shows utmost respect to an older Muslim in public and is expected to kiss the latter’s hands. Hmm, we should think more about it."Ali did get the Internet, or at least the right-thinking portion of it, moving.
His challenge, "It is time for Conservapedia to take some action," has been met. Our favourite on-line encyclopedia has updated its entry for Barack Hussein Obama, "Never before in the history of the U.S. has a president displayed such shocking deference to a foreign official."
The Weekly Standard initially fretted, "There’s [a] fawning you’ll never, ever know anything about and that is President Obama’s grovel before Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz of the House of Saud," but a few days later, everyone was a-flutter about it (perhaps because The Weekly Standard kept banging on). Heck, even Camille Paglia wrote about it, and apparently she was a really important writer once upon a time.
But now the dramatic revelation: none of this happened. A White House aide says, ""It wasn't a bow. [President Obama] grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah."
I will be hiding out in Cornwall --- I could tell you why but I would have to shoot you afterwards --- until Monday. Mike Dunn will be minding the shop, with follow-ups such as Great Gifts in the Special Relationship and the first appearance of EA's Steve Hewitt in The Guardian's Comment is Free.