Obama Apologizes For Special Olympics Gaffe

ALien · 03-20-2009, 12:51 PM

Quote:

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama has apologized to the chairman of the Special Olympics for his late-night talk show quip equating his bowling skills to those of athletes with disabilities.

Appearing on "The Tonight Show" Thursday, the president told host Jay Leno he'd been practicing at the White House's bowling alley but wasn't happy with his score of 129. Then he remarked: "It was like the Special Olympics or something."

The audience laughed, but the White House quickly recognized the blunder. The Special Olympics, founded in 1968, is a global nonprofit organization serving 200 million individuals with intellectual disabilities.

On his way back to Washington on Air Force One, Obama called the chairman of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, to say he was sorry — even before the taped program aired late Thursday night.

"He expressed his disappointment and he apologized in a way that was very moving. He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate this population," Shriver said Friday on ABC's "Good Morning America." Obama, Shriver said, wants to have some Special Olympic athletes visit the White House to bowl or play basketball.

Still, Shriver said, "I think it's important to see that words hurt and words do matter. And these words that in some respect can be seem as humiliating or a put down to people with special needs do cause pain and they do result in stereotypes."

Shriver is the son of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver and nephew of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, whose endorsement early in the Democratic primaries was critical to Obama winning his party's nomination.

Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters traveling with Obama that the president's offhand remark was not meant to disparage the Special Olympics, only to poke some fun at the commander in chief's bowling skills.

"He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," Burton said.

Despite making fun of his score, the president appears to be getting better the more he visits the White House lanes, which President Truman installed in 1947. During a campaign photo op a year ago at a bowling alley in Altoona, Pa., he rolled only a 37 in seven frames. The clip of the disastrous game was replayed on late night television shows such as Leno's — one of Obama's few campaign gaffes.

punyhuman · 03-20-2009, 06:41 PM

Over the line Donny!

safprods · 03-21-2009, 01:13 AM

you mean the senator whom had 6 weeks of experience that was put into the white house thanks to the non-vetting of the media and big money is now going on entertainment shows and saying really stupid sh*t when he does not have a teleprompter to read off of? the same guy that ran with another @ssclown that has already clocked in more moronic quotes during his first 60 days in the white house than all of Bush's 8 years combined?

this can't be the same administration that accepted tons of money from AIG and now pretend to be offended by bonuses that executives received for 2008 and are going after them with the most anti-American behavior ever witnessed by a sitting president?

you voted this clown in, America; it's about time you start apologizing to the rest of the country and even the rest of the world for this mistake

DoubtnDude · 03-21-2009, 08:39 AM

I didn't vote for the present Koolaid kid

kidflash2008 · 03-21-2009, 08:52 AM

Everyone makes stupid gaffes while in office. When W did it, it was called "homey". I love how the far right wing calls President Obama "Koolaid".

They need to read those memos that were recently released, and check into the assassination squads approved by Darth Vader and the Cisco Kid.

Mingus · 03-21-2009, 09:09 PM

Indeed. Cheney himself unabashedly remarks, in his typically shifty way, about his attempts to legitimize everything that the administration did, going so far as to repeat the Nixonian idea that "if the president does it, it is legal".

fredrum · 03-22-2009, 07:28 AM

Sounds like all you hillbilly`s wanted MCCAIN/PALIN to win election,now that would have been a joke!.....Look! the fricken civil war is over, the south got there ass kicked!...read it and weep.

kidflash2008 · 03-22-2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredrum

Sounds like all you hillbilly`s wanted MCCAIN/PALIN to win election,now that would have been a joke!.....Look! the fricken civil war is over, the south got there ass kicked!...read it and weep.

Actually, Obama won North Carolina, Florida and Virginia which were quite red before then.

safprods · 03-22-2009, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fredrum

Sounds like all you hillbilly`s wanted MCCAIN/PALIN to win election,now that would have been a joke!.....Look! the fricken civil war is over, the south got there ass kicked!...read it and weep.

so you accept the immediate failures of a clueless president right off the bat simply because he is from "your" party? this guy and his quickly changing cabinet of non-tax payers can't even come close to handling domestic issues. and you think Russia, Cuba, China, etc have not already figured that out?

good lord...

Mingus · 03-22-2009, 06:41 PM

I think that the President is not clueless, he probably just has a bowl of shit to choose employees from. It seems everyone hates everybody he nominated into the cabinet and Congress hasn't been any more helpful.

03-21-2009, 08:39 AM	#4
DoubtnDude Junior Investigator Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 28	Dont even try to balme me I didn't vote for the present Koolaid kid

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03-20-2009, 06:41 PM	#2
punyhuman Junior Investigator Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 28	Over the line Donny!

03-21-2009, 01:13 AM	#3
safprods Junior Investigator Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 4	you mean the senator whom had 6 weeks of experience that was put into the white house thanks to the non-vetting of the media and big money is now going on entertainment shows and saying really stupid sh*t when he does not have a teleprompter to read off of? the same guy that ran with another @ssclown that has already clocked in more moronic quotes during his first 60 days in the white house than all of Bush's 8 years combined? this can't be the same administration that accepted tons of money from AIG and now pretend to be offended by bonuses that executives received for 2008 and are going after them with the most anti-American behavior ever witnessed by a sitting president? you voted this clown in, America; it's about time you start apologizing to the rest of the country and even the rest of the world for this mistake

03-21-2009, 08:52 AM	#5
kidflash2008 Senior Investigator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,699	Everyone makes stupid gaffes while in office. When W did it, it was called "homey". I love how the far right wing calls President Obama "Koolaid". They need to read those memos that were recently released, and check into the assassination squads approved by Darth Vader and the Cisco Kid.

03-21-2009, 09:09 PM	#6
Mingus Investigator Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 325	Indeed. Cheney himself unabashedly remarks, in his typically shifty way, about his attempts to legitimize everything that the administration did, going so far as to repeat the Nixonian idea that "if the president does it, it is legal".

03-22-2009, 07:28 AM	#7
fredrum Junior Investigator Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 4	Sounds like all you hillbilly`s wanted MCCAIN/PALIN to win election,now that would have been a joke!.....Look! the fricken civil war is over, the south got there ass kicked!...read it and weep.

03-22-2009, 06:41 PM	#10
Mingus Investigator Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 325	I think that the President is not clueless, he probably just has a bowl of shit to choose employees from. It seems everyone hates everybody he nominated into the cabinet and Congress hasn't been any more helpful.