Friday, November 7, 2008

One for One

The price of inexperience.

President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan this afternoon to apologize for a joke about her having held "séances" in the White House, an Obama aide said.

In the future, he'll do better to be self-deprecating, rather than Great President's Widow deprecating.

“President-elect Barack Obama called Nancy Reagan today to apologize for the careless and off handed remark he made during today’s press conference," said transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "The President-elect expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share and they had a warm conversation."

Was Barack deliberately going after a Republican icon to ingratiate himself with the liberal elite? He has been talking to lots of Harvard folks these days.

Obama was asked at his press conference today if he'd spoken to all the "living" presidents.

It was a harmless enough line - for anyone but the president-elect.

"I have spoken to all of them who are living," he responded. "I didn’t want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about doing any séances."

He'll learn.

He was apparently confusing stories about Reagan's consulting with an astrologer with those about other First Ladies -- from Mary Todd Lincoln to Hillary Clinton -- who tried to make contact with figures from the past.

Right now, Barack is running one for one in the press conference/blunder ratio. Imagine if Sarah Palin had such a record!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Is it his arrogance getting the better of him? Personally, I didn't see the harm-we are becoming soooo PC these days. At least he didn't give Nancy his now famous middle finger face scratch.
I guess it is true-you just can't take the thug out of some people.