Obama is NOT the first US President to bow to foreign royalty – or even a foreign President. However, there are differences between his “bow” and the bows of his predecessors, Richard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower – neither of which am I a “fan”. As a matter of fact, I rank both men among the 10 worst President’s in the history of the USA.
In Asian culture bows are commonly used in greeting. A superior addressing an inferior will generally only nod the head slightly (some may not bow at all), while an inferior will bend forward slightly from the waist…the depth of the bow is related to the degree of respect or gratitude.
President Eisenhower bowing to French President Charles de Gaulle
President Richard Nixon bowing to Japanese Emporer Hirohito
And just to show my fairness, while this isn’t a deep submissive bow, it’s just as bad.