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Tomorrow’s outrage today:
The first appearance by a sitting president on "The Tonight Show" may well end up being the last.
President Obama, in his taping with Jay Leno Thursday afternoon, attempted to yuk it up with the funnyman, and ended up insulting the disabled.
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 said the president did not intend to offend.
Conservative bloggers will be outraged because, well, they’re kind of sensitive when they think someone is talking about them…
Of course the bonus will be the comments over at places like Malkin and Free Republic tomorrow where the keyboard-bound will be hooting and gibbering about Obama while inserting coy references to their own athleticism as demonstrated by….. their bowling averages.
(Update): We have a winner courtesy of, appropriately enough, Special Ed:
I’d bet there are plenty of disabled folks out there that bowl and break 200. 129, I thought Obama was a jock or something. 129, I beat that the first time I ever picked up a bowling ball. 129, I can beat that with a a couple pitchers of ale under my belt.
goat on March 19, 2009 at 10:22 PM
Go get’em, ladies. Rowr!
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Of course I’m going to watch. If for no other reason, I’ll need some context (i.e., reality based facts) when The Howlings begin at roughly 12:29:59. If they wait that long… Can’t wait for the PJ Media’s live blogging. No, skip that, I can wait a long time. About as long as I can wait for a colonoscopy via my nose.
Am I alone in thinking that Obama secretly, perversely enjoys jerking these guys’ chains?
Find the supreme irony in Malkin’s fauxtrage:
Jake Tapper reports that Barack Obama pulled a Joe Biden (or a Barack Obama, for that matter) and ended up mocking the Special Olympics in a lame attempt to make fun of his weak bowling skills.
Okay, so I helped you.
I love bowling, but bowlers are not “jocks” Any game that requires you take fewer than twenty steps between slugs of beer is not an “athletic” activity.
Bowling used to involve a lot of cigarette smoking and beer drinking. Now its just beer drinking without the indoor smoke. Its somewhat more athletic without the smoke.
Ah. Jake Tapper. Enough said.
Meanwhile, former State Department official Larry Wilkerson, appalled at Dick Cheney’s trashing of Obama’s efforts to close Gitmo, has stepped forward to say that most of the people still there are indeed innocent. But somehow this won’t get as much coverage as Obama’s Leno comments.
Col. Wilkerson w/ Rachel Maddow yesterday, discussing his article.
I’m pretty sure the joke was that Leno was lavishing praise on Obama for a weak performance, and Obama joked back that _Leno’s reaction_ was in the “Everyone’s a winner!” spirit of the Special Olympics. Not that the bowling score was worthy of the Special Olympics.
“Even when I try my best, I am worse at this thing than many people, but still you praise me for how well I do. What is this, the Special Olympics?” Cue rimshot.
Still not the world’s most sensitive thing to say, but, you know, if you’re going to affect outrage about a joke, at least try to understand what the joke in fact was.
affecting outrage is usually made quicker and easier by not understanding.
Yeah, because looking for irony here would just be way too obvious.
Well, considering Glenn Greenwald runs the only blog who does think Obama’s continuation of Bush administration detaine policies is worthy of attention, you need to post this criticism there or nowhere at all.
Before the show even aired Obama called Tim Shriever(chairman of Spec.Olympics)and apologized. IMO,that matters. Hopefully this experience will give the President a better perspective and maybe his plan for education will include more resources for families like mine.(long story short,my son isn’t “autistic enough”to qualify for many services that would be helpful)
As a mom to a teen with an autism spectrum disorder,it did kinda bother me. My son was less than thrilled too. But,this goes to show how words do hurt,and how certain terms and phrases(retarded,riding the short bus,etc)are so engrained that they come naturally and that’s rarely acknowledged as hurtful.
I’ve had to be an advocate for my son,even with members of our own family. No one thinks he’ll make it through high school,let alone go on to do anything else. Just because they don’t say it to his face doesn’t mean he hasn’t got that message from them and the rest of the world. Sigh.