Saturday, November 14, 2009

What Fresh Hell Is This? -- Has Anyone in the State Dept. Even Heard of Protocol?

Apparently the only person the president won't bow to is the American citizen-taxpayer.

Here's the latest protocol/foreign policy debacle from Japan.

Other comments here, here, and especially here from PowerLine. A British news story even points out that Obama wanted to talk about his personal fondness for green tea ice cream. Really?

A thought: There is something fundamentally unserious about this administration's foreign policy. I suppose this time the protocol flop is very slightly less dreadful since Japan is an ally, but come ON -- the whole point to the American Revolution was that free Americans would no longer bow to any sovereign or suzerain anywhere.

Another thought: Is the president really so naive -- or so narcissistic -- as to think that he, personally, is the center of foreign policy and his gleaming popularity the lynchpin of actual diplomacy? His fawning, spaniel-like approach to foreign leaders (any foreign leader) is beginning to make me cringe. Who really thinks this Sally Field "You like me" approach will accomplish anything positive? Our enemies will laugh and our allies will roll their eyes.

Don't you remember the fallout when President Clinton almost bowed to the Japanese emperor?

UPDATE: Check this out!

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