Denying that bow was a bow
The White House is saying Barack Obama did not bow the king of Saudi Arabia during the G20 summit. When clearly, he did.
From Politico:
“It wasn’t a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he’s taller than King Abdullah,” said an Obama aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Right. Good luck spinning that one.
Here’s more:
The Washington Times called the alleged bow a “shocking display of fealty to a foreign potentate” and said it violated centuries of American tradition of not deferring to royalty. The Weekly Standard, meanwhile, noted that American protocol apparently rules out bowing, or at least it reportedly did on the occasion of a Clinton “near-bow” to the emperor of Japan.
Interestingly, a columnist in the Saudi-backed Arabic paper Asharq Alawsat also took the gesture as a bow and appreciated the move.
Watch the vid. Tell me that’s not a bow (and notice that lack of a grasp with both hands).
