The White House and its defenders in the left-wing media are trying to spin President Obama’s bow to Japanese Emperor Akihito as simple protocol and respect for the figurehead leaders of other nations. Those evil Republicans are just so Cowboyish and out-of-touch that they don’t understand common courtesy, or so we’re told.

There are only a few problems with that line of reasoning.

For starters, American presidents have never made it a habit of bowing to foreign leaders, figurehead or otherwise. The media, less infatuated at the time, actually ripped President Bill Clinton for almost bowing to Emperor Akihito in 1994. He didn’t actually bow, do note, it was just the mere possibility of an American president showing a sign of subordination to a foreign leader that (rightly) set the media off.

Can anyone picture George Washington bowing to King George III? Or Abraham Lincoln bowing to Queen Victoria? How about Franklin Delano Roosevelt touching his toes for King George VI? Of course you can’t. Because American presidents historically don’t show signs of subordination to foreign leaders/figureheads. Respect, but not subordination.

Which brings us to another point. Most chief executives don’t make it a habit to bow to foreign leaders, either. A video compiled by the UConn College Republicans shows how forty-seven different leaders greeted Emperor Akihito at the same exact meeting. How many of them bowed to the Japanese emperor? One. Barack Obama. The other forty-six shook his hand.

Why? Because they represent their respective countries. It’s not Gordon Brown shaking Emperor Akihito’s hand. It’s the United Kingdom greeting the royal figurehead of Japan. When Barack Obama showed a sign of subordination to Akihito, it wasn’t Barack Obama doing so. It was the United States showing a sign of subordination to Japan.

Barack Obama isn’t a tourist on these trips. He’s not even Barack Obama. He’s the president of the United States, representative of the American people, chief executive of the most powerful nation on earth. A handshake would’ve shown a sign of respect and greeting, all while maintaining an equal standing of nations. His bow showed a sign of subordination of the United States to Japan.

Mock symbolism if you’d like. After all, as far as science was concerned it was just one human being bowing to another. But then don’t revert back to respect for symbolism once Obama pardons a turkey on Thanksgiving, presents a Medal of Honor to an American hero, or shows up to symbolize support for the victims of a natural disaster. Either symbolism is important or it’s not.