Updated – Obama Snubs Teleprompter To Be On Leno – Video Added
Mar 19, 2009 31 Comments ›› Pat Dollard
Special Olympics walkback
By Ben Smith
That didn’t take long.
Burton, on the plane: “Good afternoon. The President made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics. He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world.”
Me: Really? Well, how about “the president” himself having come out to apologize for the remark, instead of sending out one of his flunkies who still used the remark as a ‘reason’ for Obama’s “low-expectation” bowling skills. This guys really does give Limbaugh material everyday … without even trying.
FOX:
Obama on ‘Tonight Show’ Discusses Economy, Makes Special Olympics Joke
Some have questioned whether the president’s light-hearted chat with Leno would strike a humorous tone when a serious one was merited
President Obama sat down with Jay Leno on Thursday for a late-night TV interview that spanned a range of topics — from the economic crisis to the presidential dog — and even, at one point, featured the president joking that his bowling ability was suitable for the Special Olympics.
H/T MsUnderestimated
The bowling comment was a reminder of his poor performance on the lanes last year during one of his campaign stops. Obama bragged to “The Tonight Show” that he recently bowled 129 on the White House alley.
“It’s like Special Olympics,” he said.
Obama said he was stunned when he learned of the bonuses that bailed-out insurance giant AIG was paying its employees, and the payments raise moral end ethical problems. The administration’s going to do everything it can to get them back, he said.
But Obama added the bigger problem is the culture that allowed traders to claim them. He says that’s got to change if the economy is to recover.
“The larger problem is we have to get back to an attitude where people know enough is enough, and people have a sense of responsibility and they understand that their actions are going to have an impact one everybody,” Obama said. “If we can get back to those values that built America, we’re going to be okay.”
According to NBC, Obama was the first sitting president ever to appear on “The Tonight Show.” He’d already appeared twice as a candidate.
Obama’s TV appearance Thursday came during a series of stops in California intended to rally support for his budget proposal and his solutions to the widespread economic troubles facing the country, but some have questioned whether a light-hearted chat with Leno would strike a humorous tone when a serious one was merited.
“It’s not an accident that no sitting president has ever done a show like this,” media analyst Steve Adubato told FOX News on Thursday before Obama’s TV appearance.
Obama didn’t shy away from the typical late-night banter, though he also talked about hot-button topics in Washington, including the performance of his embattled treasury chief, Timothy Geithner. Obama said Geithner is doing an “outstanding job.”
He told Leno that Geithner is a smart guy who’s been handed an incredibly full plate. But he’s handling it all with grace and good humor.
Listing the recession, the banking crisis and the need to coordinate with other countries, Obama acknowledged Geithner’s “on the hot seat.” But he says too many in Washington are trying to figure out who to blame for things — when they should be focused on fixing them.
In his opening monologue, Leno said lots of people were surprised Obama would come on NBC — figuring he’d be tired of big companies on the brink of disaster with a bunch of overpaid executives.
Leno also joked about the dismal state of the economy, saying it’s so bad that Obama flew to California on Southwest — making nine stops.
As for Obama, he called riding on Air Force One “pretty cool, especially because they give you that jacket with the seal on it.”
