President Obama Puts Foot in Mouth: Makes Offensive Remark About Special Olympics on Leno

This was gratuitously harmful politically to the president, and it reflects a thoughtlessness, I think, that belies his image as a sensitive egalitarian. President Obama has compared his poor bowling skills to the Special Olympics. From the story:

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.

Not to make too big a deal out of this, but all I can say is that if President Bush ever said something like that, the howling about how the remark reflected his inner anti-disability attitudes would never end.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

The Possibility of Possibility

Midge Goldberg

"Might could” is a Southern expression meaning “maybe I could” or “I might be able to,” conveying…

The False Promise of No Contact

Noelle Mering

Around the time nineteen-year-old Alice began cutting ties with her family, she announced on social media that…

Moral Certitude and the Iran War

Steven A. Long

The current military engagement with Iran calls renewed attention to just war theory in the Catholic tradition.…