international intrigue

Why Is the White House Pretending Obama Didn’t Bow?

The best way to diffuse the non-stories that blogs latch onto and hyperventilate over from time to time — like President Obama’s bow to Saudi royalty at the G20 summit — is to simply ignore them and let them die out on their own. But addressing them with a not-quite-believable explanation is bound to just make things worse. Yes, Obama did seem to respectfully duck his head when he greeted Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah at a group photo session last week. “It’s not protocol!” cried conservative critics. “Protocol!” Who cares? Not Obama, who knew there were cameras everywhere at the time. So why, when asked about the incident, is the White House offering an excuse that doesn’t conform with what we can clearly see with our own eyes? “It wasn’t a bow,” an anonymous aide told Politico’s Ben Smith yesterday. “He grasped his hand with two hands, and he’s taller than King Abdullah.” Uh huh, right. Check out the video and decide for yourself if that holds water.

White House: No bow to Saudi [Politico]

Why Is the White House Pretending Obama Didn’t Bow?