On the etiquette of bowing.

Our friend brushy clump large weasel recently emailed a news story showing President Barack Obama bowing to the Japanese emperor Akihito you can view it here http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/11/obama-emperor-akihito-japan.html
He believes the U.S. president should bow to no one. We disagree. We love America and do believe it is the greatest nation on earth. But that's the point, we are one nation on a planet that holds 195 nations. And if we are going to live peacefully with the friendly nations we need to do so by showing mutual respect. We understand that some feel that the President of the United States bowing to a foreign leader shows weakness.
And to some we're sure it does. But it also shows these world leaders that the United States comes to them on equal footing, because after all perhaps we are the greatest nation on earth. But we are not the ONLY nation on earth. The old saying of When in Rome, do as the Romans do holds true today. President Obama was a visitor in a foreign country where bowing to show respect is a tradition. We think the impression he leaves will be one of a powerful world leader who respects and understands that other cultures exist. So kudos to President Obama for showing he is a world leader and not just the American president. And remember if Japan gets out of hand we can just nuke em again. Ciao for now.