The Tonight Show -- With "Special" Guest Star -- Obama
In his attempt to be funny, President Obama struck out when he appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno (taped Thursday afternoon, 19 March).
Towards the end of the show the President stated how much better he was getting at bowling on the White House bowling alley stating he had recently bowled a 129.
"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. "The president made an off-hand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics," White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton said. "He thinks the Special Olympics is a wonderful program that gives an opportunity for people with disabilities from around the world."
The remark was insensitive and thoughtless and somewhat callous. If he was comfortable making that kind of remark with a stranger, one might suspect he jokes about it a little more frequently.
In the greater scheme of things, this is a minor matter. But when added up with all the other gaffs Obama has pulled in just the last few months, including diplomatic blunders, it gets a little more serious. And it all adds up to a rookie being placed in the White House, a tyro who just was not ready for the major leagues.
It is to late to do anything about his incredible lack of experience at this stage. HE needs to recognize and accept the fact he is not omnipotent. Stop believing all the media hype about the Chosen One and work on his many shortcomings. In theory, there is a protocol staff at the White House, although there was no evidence of them during the British Prime Ministers visit with his family. The protocol staff needs to work with this man and his family and teach them the social skills and diplomatic skills required for a man in his position.
He needs to quit behaving like a buffoon.
UPDATE:
After posting this thread, I visited another forum, a non-political forum. One of the people there asked what I was referring to in regards to the Prime Ministers visit. Obviously it had not received much media coverage.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the White House the first week of March to meet the President. It has always been customary for a full blown press conference to be given as well as a formal dinner. Exchanging of gifts is normal protocol for this type of occasion between heads of state. The Prime Minister formally gave the President carefully selected gifts, including a pen holder made from the wood of a warship that helped stamp out the slave trade - a sister ship of the vessel from which timbers were taken to build Mr Obama's Oval Office desk.He also gave Obama the framed commission for that famous ship, the HMS Resolute. His third gift was a seven-volume biography of one of England's greatest leaders, Winston Churchill. Obama's gift in return, a collection of Hollywood film DVDs that could have been bought from Walmart. Then he tops this class act off by returning the generous gift of the most famous bust of Winston Churchill that has sat in the Oval Office since the attacks on 9/11 with no explanation.
While ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair was invited to Camp David for dinner, an overnight stay, lunch, and more than four hours of talks for his first tete-a-tete with President George W. Bush in 2001, Mr Brown was given only a half-hour meeting and a working lunch. A scheduled event in the Rose Garden was cancelled due to snow, leaving just a handful of British reporters allowed in for a hasty “availability” with the two leaders.
Eight years ago, Mr Blair was accompanied by his wife Cherie throughout and Laura Bush, the then new First Lady, played hostess. This time, the Prime Minister’s wife Sarah was not due to even meet Mr Obama. Instead, she was invited for a meeting with Michelle Obama. Gifts are normally exchanged between the spouses and for the children also. Mrs. Brown came bearing two outfits for the Obama girls from Topshop, one of Britain's trendiest and expensive women's wear retail outlets. In return, Michelle gave a staffer $30 and had the staffer run down to the White House gift shop and grab two toy Marine One helicopter models for the Brown's boys. Sheer class.
The real views of many in Obama administration were laid bare by a State Department official involved in planning the Brown visit, who reacted with fury when questioned by The Sunday Telegraph, a British newspaper, about why the event was so low-key.
The official dismissed any notion of the special relationship, saying: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment." BRILLIANT!
And for the grand finale? The films only worked in DVD players made in North America and the words "wrong region" came up on the Prime Ministers screen when he attempted to play the DVDs. President Obama was apparently unaware the Prime Minister came from England and not the USA.
I can be E-mailed at outrider@ohnoanotherconservativeblog.com if you have suggestions, questions, or would like to see a particular story written.
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