international intrigue

Robert Gibbs Is Being Kind of a Jerk About the Bowing Thing

Because the White House’s first explanation about President Obama’s bow to King Abdullah — that he was bending down to shake hands — would only make sense if Obama were nine feet tall, CNN reporter Dan Lothian brought up the controversy again yesterday, this time to press secretary Robert Gibbs. Surely, once the White House had time to reflect on the fact that we have actual video of the moment in question, they would admit that the president had indeed bowed as a simple show of respect to an international counterpart, blamed the “shaking hands” excuse on a well-meaning White House aide, and moved on. But instead Gibbs stuck to the far-fetched story, even sassily dismissing Lothian for asking about something that happened a whole week ago and that Americans weren’t even concerned about because they were too busy losing their jobs. Of course, it wouldn’t still be a story if Gibbs and company weren’t insulting our intelligence with outlandish fairy tales.

Obama “Bow” To Saudis: CNN Reporter Asks White House To Clarify [HuffPo]
Earlier: Why Is the White House Pretending Obama Didn’t Bow?

Robert Gibbs Is Being Kind of a Jerk About the Bowing Thing