Here A Bow, There A Bow, Everywhere A Bow-Wow

First it was the king of Saudi Arabia. Then it was the emperor of Japan. Now, Barack Obama has bowed to the President of China, Hu Jintao (around 1:00 in):

This one's not quite as deep as the other two, but that's probably because of the crowd. Who will he bow down to next? Iran's Ahmadinejad? North Korea's Kim Jung Il?

It sure won't be to the American people.

Alas, there was one other complication, apparently a hazard of excessive bowing, as reported by The Endive. Excerpts:

President Barack Obama was rushed to a Chinese Hospital today after bowing a little too deeply and hitting his head on an end-table.

“We, uh, can report at this, uh, time that the, uh, President is, uh, stable,” said White House Spokesman Robert, uh, Gibbs, “He took a, uh, hard hit to the, uh, head, and may have a, uh, concussion. When we know, uh, more, we will, uh, tell you.”

The President was attempting to impress Chinese President Hu Jintao by bowing, as is traditional in Chinese etiquette. Obama, eager to please Jintao, tried going beyond Chinese bowing standards, which indicate that one should bow slightly out of respect and maintain eye contact.

Instead, Obama jackknifed his entire body at a high rate of speed, fast enough that according to Vice President Biden, “there was no way he could have seen that end-table coming.”

The end-table in question was situated nearby and had a priceless Ming Dynasty vase perched upon it. Obama’s head impacted the table at a speed of roughly 23 miles per hour, according to estimates from Chinese scientists in attendance.

The resulting impact obliterated the end-table and sent the Ming vase flying into the air in “what seemed like slow motion” according to Biden.

...

President Jintao took the opportunity to criticize Obama’s economic policies and to try and teach him the secret to China’s economic success.

“Very simple,” said Jintao, “We billed you for the bandages and for the end-table. You are going to pay us. When you get paid for goods and services, your economy works. You will also get billed for using the second bar of soap in your hotel room. Long live China!”

Obama was reluctant to comment after a long flight back home. ...

See? That's what you get for bowing too much.

There's my two cents.