A prominent conservative blogger is seeking to temper the tempest over President Barack Obama's bow during last week's G20 summit, reminding outraged conservatives that "Bush bowed too."
Charles Johnson, whose blog, "Little Green Footballs," is best known for its key role in uncovering the reporting flub by 60 Minutes that led to the ouster of legendary news anchor Dan Rather, provided a video showing Bush bowing before King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to accept a medallion.
(Click here to watch the video.)
"More than a few people on the right are screaming that Barack Obama should be impeached for bowing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia," Johnson wrote. "Those of you who are buying into this hyperventilating nonsense need to see this video."
Johnson said American presidents have long been kowtowing to the Saudi Arabian loyalty, and will continue to do so for as long as America is addicted to the country's oil.
"Instead of impeaching Barack Obama, America needs to impeach its gas tanks."
Posted Sunday, Johnson's five-paragraph blurb had generated nearly 1,000 comments by Monday morning, many of them from conservatives taking umbrage with the post.
"Bush's was so subtle," one commenter noted. "Look at Obama's."
Wrote another: "Okay... so where was the bow? I saw President Bush lower his head to have a medal placed on around his neck which is very different from a supplicating bow of greeting."
The barrage of comments prompted Johnson to write another entry on Monday morning responding to the criticism.
"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," he wrote.
