Here’s an open thread for Monday morning, for everyone who wants to yell at me some more for pointing out that by bowing to King Abdullah, Barack Obama was simply following the well-documented, well-known tradition of US Presidents to pander to the Saudis.

To sum up, presidential pandering to the Saudis has been going on for decades, it didn’t start with Barack Obama, and it’s purely hypocritical to make excuses for George W. Bush while screaming that Obama did something no other President has ever done.

America has been bowing to Saudi Arabia for a long time, and it’s going to continue until we wean ourselves off their oil.

UPDATE at 4/6/09 9:43:03 am:

And another wake-up call for anyone who thinks Americans shouldn’t bow to anyone: John Adams kowtowed before King George III.

From Adams’ letter to Secretary of State John Jay:

I went with his Lordership thro’ the Levee Room into the King’s Closet, the Door was shut and I was left with his Majesty and the Secretary of State alone. I made the three Reverences, one at the Door, another about half way and the third before the Presence, according to the usage established at this and all the Northern Courts of Europe, and then addressed myself to his Majesty in the following words…