In a Thursday "news analysis," "Pacific Trip Encounters Rough Waters [1]," reporters Helene Cooper and Martin Fackler repeated the Times mantra from Monday [2]: Fix any controversy over Obama's long, deep bow to the emperor of Japan on "right-wing bloggers."
A week ago, when Mr. Obama kicked off his trip in Japan, things were not so grim. Tokyo welcomed him as much as a celebrity as a world leader, with cries of "Obama-san!" from the people who gathered in the rain to watch his motorcade pass. Local newspapers gushed about how he told his Japanese hosts that he wanted to eat tuna and Kobe beef. Even the ballyhoo from right-wing bloggers back at home over Mr. Obama's deep bow to Emperor Akihito did not seem to dent Mr. Obama's image in Japan; his aides said he was unfazed by the criticism.