In the wake of President Obama’s generally pleasant, at times even giggly Tonight Show appearance Thursday night, the media’s currently flipping out over the president’s unexpected reference to the Special Olympics. The leader of the free world jokingly told Jay Leno that he’d bowled a 129 at the White House’s private alley, adding, "That was like the Special Olympics or something." The president remains horrified at the gaffe; before the segment aired last night, he called chairman of the Special Olympics Tim Shriver from Air Force One. "He expressed his disappointment and he apologized in a way that wasvery moving. He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate thispopulation," Shriver said Friday on ABC’s Good Morning America. Obama also invited Special Olympics athletes to visit the White House to bowl or play basketball.
Personally, I think it was a ridiculously dumb thing to say, but I was over it in about 10 seconds (and this is coming from someone who scored a woeful 66 in an NYC media bowling league on Wednesday night). The bigger issue to consider, maybe, is whether presidents should be going on talk shows at all. Were a few successful jokes worth this memorable giant cringe? Let us know what you think in the poll below.
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If Bush had said it, we’d want to impeach him. Obama says it and as always, turn the other cheek or we’re called racist.
It’s sad and embarassing that not only does America have a President who’s a talk show regular but who also lacks even the most basic of sensitivity toward the disabled.
I am quite offended that he called this population out in such a way.
Get over it???? Really?
Had Bush made that comment no one would have “gotten over it’. Had someone made a “racial” slur instead of a slur against the handicapped it wouldn’t have been such a harmless thing. I think it’s horrible that our nation’s leader is that insensitive to what he should and shouldn’t say in his own country. God help us when he starts offending the rest of the world.
I can’t believe we are all still talking about this. Did Obama really have to apologize? Afterall, Special Olympics is getting plenty of press out of this.
BTW, an interesting and humorous take on this topic here: http://tinyurl.com/obamabowlsturkey
Karen Schell, yes, I bet you are so perfect you have never once in your life said a politically incorrect or insensitive thing. Get over yourself. If this is the worst thing people can say about Obama, then my hat is off to him.
I’m a bit in Susan’s boat. I don’t mean for the sentiment to make me sound like I wish Bush were president 4 eva or anything, but we certainly are much more forgiving of Obama; which isn’t to say that we should beat Obama over the head with this, but that we probs could’ve given G-Dubs a break sometimes. That being said, I don’t rightly care.
I think Bush the Latter was the worst president we’ve ever had and did damage in his 8 years that will take us decades to undo.
So I’m not coming from a pro-Bush place. That said, if Bush did this, it would be the lead sketch on SNL and comedians would be having a field day goofing on Bush. We’d never hear the end of it. Obama’s getting about 10% of what Bush would have gotten. If you’re a pro-Bush/Republican, how can you not see this as a media double standard and get pissed off? I’m a pinko liberal so I’m not pissed off, but I do acknowledge there’s a double standard.
Susan – couldn’t have said it any better.
Susan, the difference between Bush saying this and Obama saying it is the exact opposite. If Bush said it, people would just roll their eyes and shake their heads at another stupid thing our ignorant dolt of a President said and it probably would not have even made the news. But Obama says it and everyone’s writing 17,000 articles about it because people are at a loss to find anything wrong with him because his intelligence level is light years beyond Bush’s. You see, our expectations for Bush were much lower than they are for Obama. Get a clue.
No, we wanted to impeach Bush for constructing false evidence to send us to war, illegal wiretaps, and allowing torture and Geneva Convention violations to occur under his watch.
But guess what? Didn’t happen! Apparently the only thing a President can do that’s worthy of impeachment is getting a hummer while in office.
I think he said something any regular person might have said in the same situation. The only problem is he’s not a regular person anymore.
Well said, Rich!
Again your Hollywood liberal bias is showing. So apparently you think is is okay to mock this worthy cause or look the otherway because the “Annointed One” said it. How two faced can you get?! That comment was totally inappropriate and if a conservative had said it, they would have been lambasted, which anyone who said it should be.
Over it in 10 seconds? How long would it have taken to get over it if Bush had said it?
I love Barack but come on. What a stupid comment.Definitely inappropriate.
I would also note that if Bush had said something stupid like this 2 months into his first term, I doubt anyone would have noticed. Most people thought he was a dolt anyway, so it’s not like it would have shocked anyone. Obama may be the beneficiary of a double standard, but in a way, he’s also held to much higher standards due to his intelligence, persona, and the situation our country is in now.
another vote for Susan! I am SICK of hypocrites!
I get really tired of the “if Bush did this” crap that Republicans constantly whine about. No, we wouldn’t have impeached Bush. It would have been chalked up as another Bushism and there would have been no outrage.
It’s a humorless comment but he’s apologized profusely. By the way, if you haven’t seen the clip you should, it reads a lot worse than it really was.
‘Not over it’ wrote: “God help us when he starts offending the rest of the world.”
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I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it’s already started:
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http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Snubbing+Britain%3A+Obama+offends+a+country&articleId=2484990d-d411-4b36-afeb-8c479718278e
kudos to jinx!
i’m certainly an obama supporter. and i certainly believe he meant no offense in his comment. but, come on.
would bush have gotten away with this? absolutely not. there’s a dangerous swell of hypocrasy in the country right now. the same rules should apply to all our leaders. if bush was an open target for criticism, obama, despite his bono/hollywood fanclub, should be, too.
“Goose? Meet Gander.”
Let’s all be like Meghan McCain! We can do it!
When I watched the show and heard him say it, I knew it was going to be a “problem”. I didn think it was funny but he didnt mean to offend anyone. If Bush said it, it would have been something in the long list of stupid things he has said. Anyone remember him talking about gynecologists who are not able to practice their love? The gyn’s of the world didnt get up in arms. To me, no harm no foul! They will look to find any & everything wrong with president Obama.
PJ,
I’m not a republican, I’m a registered democrat but I agree that Bush would have gotten way more crap for this kind of comment. Way more. Obama is getting off easy in comparison.
He made a mistake and he has apologized for it. That’s what real men and women do and should do. He owned up to it. Think about it: he could have asked Leno to edit that out before broadcasting it and who’s going to refuse the leader of the free world? But it aired, he’s apologized, and let’s all move on. Please.
To Robert: How do think Obama is getting off easy? Every station, website, etc. is b*tching about it! When I saw it I thought he was responding to Jays stupid jumping up & down and clapping for him…like Jays reaction was for the special olympics…that is how I took it. I’m afraid to speak to any one any more because any little thing you say is going to offend someone! Geeeezzz!
To all you people saying Bush would have been crucified for saying something like this:
BULLSH*T
The man said idiotic things almost every time he was in front of a camera, and hardly anyone even blinked. This comment stood out for Obama because he is not constantly saying idiotic things like Bush did.
I do think you are all getting a bit worked up over what was not intended to be offensive, i doubt if anyone here or in the media truly lives up to the PC standards that they would like to impose on others. i myself use the term “Spazchariot” as frequently as the situation allows
I couldn’t believe he said that, but at one point we’ve all said things around people that we shouldn’t have. We’re all human at one point. But after all the stupid things Bush did, saying something that made him look like an idiot leading our country including not even knowing which was his right or left hand. Bottom line is he’s human so he should get a little slack as long as he doesn’t do it again anytime soon
Annie – If you had a child who worked his heart out preparing for the special olympics every weekend…you *would not* be over it in 10 seconds…..