The answer? They’re pretty good at the old-fashioned bow, as seen in the Daily Beast‘s fine gallery of the Year in Bows.
Obama figures twice (ah, the grandeur of humility), as does Nicolas Sarkozy, who likes to grin while plummeting. But the prize goes to the Dalai Lama, who somehow manages to plunge even further than his bowing partner Nancy Pelosi. It’s like a war of deference, with the Dalai Lama just managing to duck beneath Pelosi. I hope he made it back up again.
My favourite, though, is the one above of King Juan Carlos of Spain and Sarkozy doing the honours to Carla and Queen Sofia. If you look quickly, Sarko and the King become a sort of two-headed bowing beast. But Carla’s clearly impressed, so that’s something.
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