Transcript: Meet the Press Interview with Jordan’s King Abdullah II
(Source: NBC’s Meet the Press)
MR. GREGORY: We’re back. King Abdullah of Jordan spent the last week here in Washington with a full agenda: meeting with the president, the secretary of state, congressional leaders and a full military arrival ceremony at the Pentagon. Before returning to Jordan on Friday, he stopped here at MEET THE PRESS for an exclusive interview.
Your Majesty, welcome back to MEET THE PRESS.
KING ABDULLAH II: Thank you very much.
MR. GREGORY: President Obama is now the third U.S. president that you have worked with. You spent time with him this week and even during the campaign. Tell me your impressions here as he comes upon 100 days in office?
KING ABDULLAH II: Well, I–from I think day one that I, I, I met him, a very impressive man. A lot of depth. A lot of, I think, instinctive understanding of the challenges that the world faces. And obviously I’m here in Washington to talk about relaunching negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and Israelis and Arabs, and we had a meeting of the minds, very fruitful discussions. And I think he has a clear understanding of, of what the challenges are.
Video: Jordan’s King Abdullah Says U.S. Engaged in Torture
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Transcript: President Obama, King Abudullah Press Availability, April 21
(Source: White House Press Office)
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Hello, everybody. Take your time, guys. We’re going to answer a few questions.
First of all, I just want to welcome His Majesty King Abdullah to the White House. This is a first visit by a leader of another state; in part, it’s reciprocity for the extraordinary hospitality that the King and Queen showed me when I visited Jordan prior to the election — in which the King had personally drove me to the airport. And I won’t tell you how fast he was going. (Laughter.)
Video: All right, all right … Yes, it looks like Obama bowed to the Saudi King
Not the smoothest move by our young President … even less smooth, is the unnamed source from the White House telling Politico it wasn’t a bow, the Boss is just taller than the king. Who knows why people do things sometimes, but not a big deal unless he starts bowing to everyone. Obama probably gets it and feels like a putz. Dear John Birchers: Get a life, the bow means nothing. The bow is about a minute into the video.
