UK Daily Mail | November 16, 2009 David Gardner
President Obama has been branded the ‘Groveller-in-Chief’ after giving an exaggerated bow to Japan’s emperor Akihito - the son of the ruler who authorised the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
Coming so soon after Remembrance Day, the deep bow caused an outcry in the U.S.
While it was seen as a sign of respect in Japan, Mr Obama was attacked in America for ‘bowing and scraping’ to a foreign leader, particularly a Japanese one. Wartime scars are still raw for many Americans.
The 6ft 2in President’s mark of deference to the 5ft 5in emperor in Japan on Saturday dominated discussion in the U.S. media about the trip.
One post by a reader on the Los Angeles Times website read: ‘The Groveller-in-Chief strikes again.’
Another said: ‘Will this man ever stop bowing and scraping to foreign leaders?’
White House aides said Mr Obama had been simply following protocol.
However, critics pointed to Michelle Obama patting the Queen on the back during their Buckingham Palace visit as an example of the First Couple’s usual casual attitude towards protocol.
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