Unusual for me to write two posts in quick successions, but I’ve just been catching up on the news and I read this about Obama’s very recent appearance on Jay Leno.
He was talking about his poor performance at a bowling event (he bowled a low score of 129) and he said:
“It was like the Special Olympics or something”.
Booooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
I would have expected this sort of gaffe from his predecessor, but not Obama. He is erudite, intelligent and well educated. All the things GWB was not.
I know that he’s said he is sorry. I know that he rang the Chairman of the Special Olympics before the program had aired to apologise.
It’s great that he wanted to control the damage, that he realised (or was told) pretty quickly that he shouldn’t have said it BUT I can’t help but wish that he had known better than to make the comment in the first place. It just shouldn’t have been a comparison that came into his head.
As the Special Olympics chairman himself is quoted as saying:
I think it’s important to see that words hurt and words do matter
As I raised in a post a while ago, I totally agree.
Obama can still make amends though.
As disappointed as I was to read about his comments, I have been pretty happy reading the press that has followed.
It’s great that he’s invited Special Olympics competitors to visit the White House.
It’s even greater that a Special Olypics champion bowler has challenged Obama to a game.
I hope it happens. I hope it gets good media coverage. And I hope when the other guy, Kolan McConiughey, wins, it might give more people some food for thought before they make off-hand disparaging comments.
Maybe then I will forgive you Mr President 
.
********* WAIT!!! There’s more*********
A late edit!!
I never usually add anything extra to a blog post once it’s out there, but THIS WONDERFUL LETTER written on a blog by a recent high school graduate called Sarah in response to Obama’s comment that I found via a recent post by Ellen over at To the Max (thanks Ellen!) really, really needs to be shared with as many people as possible. As I wrote in a comment on Sarah’s blog, her letter should have a place in the New York times. Everyone should read it. It’s a perfect response!!! Great work Sarah .
I didn’t know about the bowler challenging him! I am still reeling from this beyond-insensitive remark. Way to make hundreds of thousands of people feel bad.
Oh wow…that is not good at all, a person in his position should be more educated than that!
Di, I love the link to Sarahs letter, that is fantastic!
I am really disappointed in Obama as I thought just maybe the US of A had found a decent leader….no excuses either as the fact is he thought it,( which is the problem) and said it.
I was also very surprised and disappointed to hear of Obama’s comment. That letter is great – I hope she does get to teach him how to bowl.