President Obama, who nearly prostrated himself before the king of Saudi Arabia last April, has once again bowed low to a monarch -- this time to the emperor of Japan.

What to make of this obsequious body language?

After the presidential frame went perpendicular before the Saudi royal, the White House at first denied that the president had bowed. He was merely leaning over, Robert Gibbs explained, because the president was "taller than the king." That might make sense -- to anyone who had not seen the video. President Obama bent so far over that he was at eye level with the king's hips.

The president's defenders suggested that he was merely being polite, or simply following protocol. Politeness consists in treating others with respect and taking care not to hurt their feelings. But a bow, well, that's a different matter.

Last week, the president did it again, bowing from the waist before Japan's Emperor Akihito. So what might have seemed a rookie mistake is now looking deliberate.

Protocol is not the explanation. While there have been exceptions, American presidents have not traditionally bowed to royalty. Nor have American diplomats or citizens of any stripe. Kings and queens of England have visited America and been quite satisfied to receive a dignified handshake from Americans high and low. President Roosevelt famously served Great Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth hot dogs at his Hyde Park home. Read On

HOLD ON The Senate Armed Services Committee postponed its Monday briefing on the deadly Fort Hood massacre at the behest of the White House, despite calls from some lawmakers to press forward with a congressional investigation into the shooting rampage that killed 13 and wounded 29.

An aide to committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., told Fox News that the meeting is delayed "at the request of the administration." Army Secretary John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen George Casey were to have briefed committee members privately on the shooting.

Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was charged on Thursday with the deadly shooting spree. Army investigators have said Hasan is the only suspect and could face additional charges.

Obama already had ordered a review of all intelligence related to Hasan and whether the information was properly shared and acted upon within government agencies. Read On

A small-time actor and former children's entertainer who was known for playing Santa Claus was sentenced Monday to nearly 20 years in prison for his role in an international sex tourism ring that preyed on young children.

Wayne Nelson Corliss, whose 2008 arrest was the culmination of an international manhunt, had admitted traveling to Thailand three times between 2000 and 2002 to have sex with at least two boys, ages 6 and 9. He pleaded guilty last October to five counts that included distribution and possession of child pornography and traveling to foreign countries to engage in illegal sexual activity.

"You have acted beyond the bounds of human decency," U.S. District Judge Joseph A. Greenaway told Corliss on Monday.

The bearded, white-haired Corliss, who is 61 and acted under the name Casey Wayne, was described by people who knew him as witty and friendly and "the best Santa Claus anyone has ever seen." He worked as an entertainer at corporate parties, art fairs and bar mitzvahs, where his activities sometimes included painting children's faces. Read On

END OF THE WORLD MOVIE Death. Destruction. The end-of-the-world as we know it. 

They're all predicted for December 21, 2012, according to ancient Mayans and Hollywood's latest disaster flick.

The big budget "2012," starring John Cusack and opening Friday nationwide, is based on the Mayan calendar, whose end date is December 21 of this year. 

But it looks like the Mayans and Tinseltown are alone in their prediction. Read On

FOUND SANFORD, N.C.  —  A missing 5-year-old whose mother was accused of offering her for sex was found dead off a heavily wooded road in a rural area Monday, ending a weeklong search, police said. Searchers found Shaniya Davis' body early Monday afternoon about 100 feet off a road southeast of Sanford, in central North Carolina, Fayetteville Police spokeswoman Theresa Chance said. She declined to comment on a cause of death or the condition of Shaniya's body. "We've got a lot of people out at the scene right now that are torn up," Chance said. "Detectives have been running off adrenaline to find this little girl and to bring her home alive. You have a lot of people in shock right now." Read On

MOLESTED BOYS TACOMA, Wash. —  A wealthy Bonney Lake, Wash., pilot who used money, alcohol and manipulation to molest more than a dozen boys has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Weldon Marc Gilbert, who worked as a pilot for UPS, was sentenced Monday in Tacoma by U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle. In a sentencing memo, prosecutors wrote that the 49-year-old Gilbert remains "incapable of real remorse" for the damage he did to at least 17 boys as young as 10. Gilbert tearfully apologized during the sentencing hearing. He earlier pleaded guilty to production of child pornography, transporting a minor across state lines for illegal sexual activity and obstruction of justice. Under the plea agreement, a helicopter, two cars, a float plane, a boat and some property belonging to Gilbert will be forfeited and sold, with the proceeds placed in a fund for the victims.

FAMILY CONCERNS:

• Obama condemned for indifference to China church persecution
  As President Barack Obama prepares for his first visit to China, leaders of the unapproved churches there are condemning his administration for indifference to the increasing persecution they are facing.
• Church: DC's same-sex 'marriage' bill threatens programs
  The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington says it won't continue social service programs it runs for the District of Columbia unless a proposed same-sex "marriage" law is changed.
• Churches win in equal access debate
  A California city has had a change of heart related to church activities in city facilities.
• Parole restrictions keep terrorist at home
  A controversial guest speaker was a no-show at UMass.
• The reality of abortion - YouTube-style
  A video describing a first-trimester abortion -- produced by Priests for Life and published on YouTube -- has reached a milestone.
• AP poll: Family dinner survives, with distractions
  Pass the gravy -- plus the phone and the remote control. It's dinnertime in America.

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