New York Times In 1994 When Clinton Semi-Bows To Japanese Emperor

In 1994 the New York Times strongly criticized Bill Clinton for a slight inclination of his shoulders towards Japanese Emperor Akihito. Yet today, when Barack Obama does an all-out bow before the King of Saudi Arabia the media has found it unworthy of any reporting, let alone criticism.

This is what the New York Times wrote in 1994: "It wasn’t a bow, exactly. But Mr. Clinton came close. He inclined his head and shoulders forward, he pressed his hands together. It lasted no longer than a snapshot, but the image on the South Lawn was indelible: an obsequent President, and the Emperor of Japan. Canadians still bow to England’s Queen; so do Australians. Americans shake hands. If not to stand eye-to-eye with royalty, what else were 1776 and all that about?... Guests invited to a white-tie state dinner at the White House (a Clinton Administration first) were instructed to address the Emperor as 'Your Majesty,' not 'Your Highness' or, worse, 'King.' And in what one Administration aide called 'some emperor thing,' an Army general was cautioned that he should not address the Emperor Akihito at all as he escorted him to the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. But the 'thou need not bow' commandment from the State Department’s protocol office maintained a constancy of more than 200 years. Administration officials scurried to insist that the eager-to-please President had not really done the unthinkable."

Yet today, Barack Obama remains untouchable. There is a blackout on this in the mainstream media, a very different approach than that taken in 1994. Obama gets a free pass from the media on his bowing to King Abdullah. It was demeaning to the President and an embarrassment to the United States.

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