Bowing seems to be a hot topic these days. Dick Cheney released a statement a few days ago lambasting Obama for bowing to the Emperor of Japan on his visit there. The idea is that Americans don't bow except to America and our fallen soldiers. This condemnation has interestingly received support on both sides of the political line.

Respect is respect. I was bowed to a lot in Japan, and accordingly, I bowed often when I was there. That doesnt show submission to some other nation, but it does show respect. Seems to me that some of these politicians of yours could do with a lesson or two in respect. Cheney especially.

Agree with Mosh. If conservative politicians from anywhere do not wish to show respect to foreign royalty, they should stay at home.

Anyway, this trip was to honor China with a visit. The whole of the Japan trip is merely a courtesy visit to make sure Japan is happy to continue holding American debt.

Yeah it's weird. I saw Chris Matthews of all people backing Cheney on this.
I think it's a kind of crypto-machismo.

The other thing that's big these days in Cheney-land is his use of the term "dithering" to describe Obama's relative inaction of late. This has gotten to be so popular, Carrie Prejean was slinging it around like it weren't no thang. Did anyone else catch her amazing interview with Larry King, buy the way? Hilarious.

He's not dithering, he's being blocked on any issue that would make a difference and pull the USA out of it's current economic spiral.

The other side wants to save the day.

they had 8 years

And they did such a wonderful job...

Obama is being blocked fairly easily in no small part to being an idiot.

You don't offer people compromise positions as a place to beginning negotiations.  He spent his entire campaign and into his presidency backpedaling.  On multiple fronts, he has cornered himself into positions where he has no room to negotiate. 

He also had the brilliant idea to hand the keys to the economy to the same people who fucked it up and as such, did little more than continue to give their friends handouts instead of reviving the economy.  Where was he backing a strong plan for reform, for busting up "too-big-to-fail" instead of propping them up until they could hand out huge bonuses again, etc.?  Oh, he wasn't there.

He did turn out to be the "puppet" alternative didn't he.

Our expectations of him were pretty artificial to begin with. I think he's really crippled by his fear of screwing up royally.

If he just went balls to the wall and did things like shutting down Guantanamo and killing Don't Ask Don't Tell with authority then we'd have a more obvious sense of "change" and I don't think you'd see the Right frothing at the mouth that much more than they already are.

Absolutely. And that's the saddest part about it.

but who's going to be next ?

Depends on whether or not he starts manning up.

Otherwise: Palin-Beck 2012.

I had really low expectations and he hasn't even met those.

Here's grumpy old Paul Krugman talking about the economy:
http://fora.tv/2009/11/09/Paul_Krugman_The_Return_of_Depression_Economics#Paul_Krugmans_Grim_Economic_Outlook

Also, this:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/11/21-2

In particular:

And, as much as it pains me ever to find myself agreeing with a regressoid, Edward Whelan, president of the right-wing Ethics and Public Policy Center, was right when, expressing his surprise that the Obama administration has made so few nominations to fill open positions in the federal judiciary, he noted:  "On judges as on so much else, this administration seems to be much less competent than both its supporters and critics expected".

I think his heart is in the right place, but there comes a time when the country needs more than just that.