By now, no one should be surprised that a sign of respect from United States President Barack Obama toward another world leader would come under fire from the right wing.
In the eyes of the warmongering, Fox News-worshiping herd, the recently-dubbed "Groveler-in-Chief" has done (and will do) nothing right during his presidency, so it should be relatively easy to dismiss their criticisms out of hand.
Still, there are too many intelligent people out there who honestly believe the States become weaker by displays like the one pictured, and by apologizing for the previous administration ignoring everyone else and doing what they thought was best for all.
There is a lot for which the United States of America needs to make amends.
Simply because someone doesn't engage in a physical conflict - finds a way to avoid some sort of fisticuffs, so to speak - doesn't mean he or she couldn't win.
This same conservative base that preaches the Christian values of turning the other cheek and loving thy neighbor and forgiving seventy-seven times seven, either believes that those only apply to American Christians, or just conveniently forgets these things when it comes to politics.
They decry the gesture because good ol' SuperAmerican Dick Cheney stood tall and simply gave a firm handshake in his meeting. The same former Vice President who condones waterboarding and lying about weapons of mass destruction in order to finish a war from the early '90s really isn't the model for foreign relations.
Obama's gesture, while nowhere near polished, is a sign that he recognizes the importance of other nations' customs - specifically when he's visiting their country. He also is aware the the U.S. doesn't (nor should it) rule the world.
And that a simple show of respect strengthens a relationship.
Under the Bush 43 administration, it must have seemed to the rest of the world that it did not have a seat at the table. The glowing example is when America ignored the consensus of the United Nations in that attacking Iraq was the wrong way to go.
While some lemonade has been made out of those lemons insofar as Iraqi government, the cost has been high with regard to our relationship with most countries around the globe, the lives of servicemen from all nations, and an increasingly volatile situation in Afghanistan. That latter consequence could have been avoided by focusing the battle there.
I'm convinced that most of those who agree with the right wing spin doctors foolishly believe that if the nations of the world were to unite against the U.S. militarily, the U.S. would still win. And, therefore, "Bring it on."
The truism "Peace can only be achieved if both sides want it" does not imply that the only solution is fighting.
Some believe that we're still at war with Japan (over for 64 years), China (by way of the Korean and Vietnam conflicts - also over for 30 years and more), and Russian and Europe's Eastern Bloc (over for 20 years).
I'd like to ask these critics when it will finally be acceptable for the States to show these other nations genuine goodwill and treat them as equals.
I fear the answer will be something along the lines of - "When they are democratic nations" (though they still don't think France is equal); "When they do what we tell them" (so that they don't have their own voice?); or, worst of all, "They will never be equal."
Until then, I'll sit back, smile, and know that the world has become a little more peaceful when President Obama respected a Japanese leader, instead of puking on him (figuratively, or literally).
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