Is It A Bow, Or Is It Not A Bow. You Make The Call!
Like in any heavyweight fight, we always have the tale of the tape that gives us the particulars of the combatants. Reach, height, weight, record, knockouts, wins by decision and more.
In the case of the controversy over whether President Obama did or didn't bow to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, we have heard excuses from the White House that it was not a bow, but merely a height issue. After all, President Obama is much taller that the King and in order to shake both of his hands bending down would be necessary. However, upon looking at the tape, it turns out that he is even taller than Queen Elizabeth ll.
President Obama: 6' 1 1/2 "
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia: 5' 6"
Queen Elizabeth ll of England: 5' 4"
As always in politics, the attempted cover-up is always worse than the indiscretion (although maybe not in this case). Simply step up to the plate and let us know why you would choose one or the other monarchs to bow to, but more importantly, as President of the most powerful country in the world why you would be bowing to anyone.
This event does not have the impact or importance of the rescue of Captain Phillips from the Somali pirates, but perhaps it gives a look into the goings on within the mind of President Obama. Let's go to the videotape.
So as the tape clearly shows, the Queen of England received a nod and the King of Saudi Arabia received a bow from the waist.
Handshake, nod, bowing from the waist, isn't it all the same? Is it really that important? Maybe, maybe not.
For one, after winning our freedom from the monarchy in Britain, we earned the right to not have to bow to anyone again.
Second is that while Saudi Arabia is an ally, they are also proponents of Sharia law, one of the strictest forms of Islam and one which metes severe and often deadly punishment for crimes, many of which we would consider to be minor offenses.
If Michelle Obama lived in Saudi Arabia, she would be forced to live life in a much different way than she does as First Lady.
"...Under Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, women face severe discrimination, particularly in matters like education, employment and the justice system. Although they make up 70% of university enrollment, women comprise only 5% of the Saudi workforce. They cannot travel abroad, be admitted into a hospital, be examined by a doctor or leave the house without permission or in the company of an immediate male relative. There is no basis for such restrictions in Islam...
...In an embarrassing display of law enforcement, the Saudi government convicted and sentenced the widow to 40 lashes and four months imprisonment for mingling with her late husband's 24-year-old nephew and his friend, after she had asked them to deliver some bread to her house. (Since her husband's death, she often asks others for help. The Saudi government claims that she has sinned.)"(
Daily News)
The point for President Obama to understand is that every action that he takes and every move that he makes is being scrutinized by the entire world. He needs to explain his actions in an honest and clear way, and not rely on his minions to conjure up excuses that do not make any sense.
The cover-up is always worse, particularly in the age of 24 hour news.
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