According to Jake Tapper, Obama and Leno talked bowling.
Towards the end of his approximately 40-minute appearance, the president talked about how he’s gotten better at bowling and has been practicing in the White House bowling alley.
He bowled a 129, the president said.
“That’s very good, Mr. President,” Leno said sarcastically.
It’s “like the Special Olympics or something,” the president said.
When asked about the remark, the White House had no comment.
Good grief. This guy is the Leader of the Free World? Back to you, Anchoress:
Perhaps President Obama, who received a rather tidy Book Advance just before he was sworn in, (does anyone else remember how Newt Gingrich got castigated for ‘using his office to sell a book’?) should donate some of the proceeds of his advance, say…I dunno, 90% - to the Special Olympics, to show he doesn’t really think that it’s okay to joke about “extra chromosome people” like Al Gore did (yes, I remember
everything). Or, at least, that he should not insult disabled people by comparing them to himself, or to political junkies, in general.
As a political junkie, I can say that.
Sigh. One almost gets tired of saying it, but one must say it, still: Can you IMAGINE what the press and the Dems would do with that, had Bush said it. Can you IMAGINE what the press and the Dems would have done with the Irish PM Teleprompter gaffe (the press has helpfully embargoed the video, so Obama doesn’t have to see it playing 24/7, as Bush would have - had Bush so gaffed). Can you IMAGINE what the press and the Dems would have done if Bush had given the Prime Minister of Great Britain a lousy pack of 50 “Classic” DVD’s that didn’t work in the UK?
Yes, I can imagine the uproar we'd hear if President Bush had comported himself in this way. I think we heard every malapropism that the man ever uttered -- Jacob Weisberg saw to it. Let's give Jake Tapper credit where due: he seems to understand that the job of a White House reporter is to provide information, not to serve as a member of a journalistic Praetorian Guard.
I have only two things to add. First, I have volunteered at Special Olympics events numerous times in my life. I'd recommend the experience to everyone, especially President Obama. Second, since I've been to these events, I can assure you that most Special Olympians are better bowlers than Barack Obama.
Oh, and go read the rest of the Anchoress's piece.
5 comments:
My biggest concern is how Obama is denigrating the office of the President.
I'm certainly no Bush apologist but he was right on in one key area: He never engaged his media critics. Obama has too often invoked the names of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.
And then this business about filling out his NCAA bracket on ESPN as well as appearing on The Tonight Show. Obama is so hell bent on proving he's a "regular guy" that he forgets the office of the Presidency should be above such jocularity, especially when we're on the verge of, in his words, "a catastrophe".
Bottom line, a President runs the risk of making an embarrassing gaffe when he gets caught up in the atmosphere of an entertainment program.
Obama and Bush are not the same people. While Obama is a well-spoken man, and very composed and comfortable in the public forum, Bush, though personally charismatic, does NOT excel at public speaking or official speeches. And this man was representing our country to the rest of the world. For people who didn't vote for him - esp the first four years when he was appointed to the office - it was embarrassing to have a president who acted doofy in public and couldn't put two words together properly.
Believe me, I cared more about the grammatical errors that made Bush look unintelligent (which he's not).
And sure, get mad about making fun of Special Olympics, but filling out the NCAA bracket? IMO, the office of the presidency isn't above taking part in the traditions of the country it represents.
The Leno thing was a little weird anyway. The news was saying that this is like Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats." I was thinking "why not bring back Fireside Chats instead?" I would rather have that. And it wouldn't interfere so much with the traffic in LA.
We have to pick the right words here, I think. Obama can be quite eloquent when scripted. The problem is that he can also be glib. And that's where he gets in trouble; he's shown a tendency to forget that when you are the president, you are always the president. The average person can get by with being a wise guy most of the time, but the one-liners and banter that floated effortlessly out of his mouth on Jan. 19 now tumble out like stone blocks. I sometimes think he hasn't quite processed that reality, yet.
As for the NCAA pool – you'll notice I didn't bring that up here, but now that you mention it…. I don't have a problem with him filling out a bracket; I sure did (and I'm happy to tell everyone that I was 14-2 yesterday). Where he deserves trouble is this – he surely didn't need to take his bracket and have it on ESPN. Again, because he's taking time to do things like this, he looks frivolous. And that's why Coach K dinged him about it.
To use a tennis term, these are unforced errors. He can clean this stuff up. What I'm arguing is that he'd better start doing so, and quickly. The hour grows short.
Bush was appointed?
how? and by whom?
For the record, I'm not going to be ashamed of this country no matter what some president or another does.
As for continuing to take pot shots at Bush? The time has come and gone. If he sticks his nose back into politics then have at him, but otherwise, lets look at the guy who is currently in the office.
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