Arab Winter Setting In -- Gonna Be a Doozy...

[Gerald McGrew]

This is an apology...

http://www.hawaii-nation.org/publawsum.html

[Gerald McGrew]

I don't get myself how Obama being diplomatic and performing custom in another's country when greeting their leaders is supposed to equal "ass-kissing" either

What did you expect him to do? Walk up to the Japanese with an extended hand and at the last second pull it back and nose them? Slap the Japanese President's wife with a back hand and flip the Leader the bird and strut off?

Can someone enlighten me?

It's blatant tribalism. When your guy does it, he's just following protocol and it's no big deal. When the guy from the other team does it, IT'S YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HIM SHOWING WEAKNESS TO THE WORLD!!!!!!

[Animavore]

A bit silly if you ask me. Leaders all over the World often do this kind of thing every where they go. It's nothing new.

[Gerald McGrew]

A bit silly if you ask me. Leaders all over the World often do this kind of thing every where they go. It's nothing new.

It's indicative of a mindset/lack of self-awareness that up until recently, I thought mostly existed in conservative, fundamentalist religious people. But as I discuss more subjects with a more diverse people, I'm finding it's almost a ubiquitous trait in humans. Whether it be feminist issues with certain atheists, politics with alleged "skeptics/freethinkers", or evolution/creationism with fundamentalist Christians, I keep seeing the same behaviors pop up over and over in every group.

It seems we all have certain subjects where we are so wedded to an ideology, team, or viewpoint that we suspend objectivity and critical thought and mostly just engage on a emotionally reactionary level. It's fascinating.

[JimC]

In the debate in the last few pages, it seems to me both "sides" have a point. Obama didn't make literal apologies (except maybe for the Koran burning in Afghanistan, where an apology was reasonable. To say he has been indulging in large scale appeasement is stretching things...

On the other hand, I agree with CES that western governments in general do a little too much of the "we must respect religion" and too little in the way of making it very clear that freedom of speech is something that trumps many other things in our society, and we won't suppress voices ridiculing religion.

[Coito ergo sum]

Never mind -- the embassy attacks were not about the stupid video after all..... http://news.yahoo.com/state-dept-reveal ... 00114.html