PrintNovember 8, 2008
Obama's foot in mouth disease
Oh boy. Is this what we have to look forward to for the next 4 years?
When a reporter asked Obama if he had spoken with any ex-presidents since his election on Tuesday, he responded that he had spoken to all former presidents "that are living."First, it should be noted that Nancy Reagan consulted an astrologer after her husband came within a hair's breadth of being assassinated. And it was solely to get reassurance from the charlatan that the days her husband was scheduled to make public appearances were "good" days.
"I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about, you know, doing any seances," he said.
Nancy Reagan, wife of 40th President Ronald Reagan, was derided in 1988 when his former chief of staff Donald Regan revealed in a book that the first lady had consulted an astrologer to determine the president's schedule.
Obama apologized to Reagan "for the careless and offhanded remark," Obama transition team spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said.
"The president-elect expressed his admiration and affection for Mrs. Reagan that so many Americans share and they had a warm conversation," Cutter said.
I think we can cut the woman a little slack.
And Obama has indeed expressed his admiration for The Gipper in the past, no doubt envying him as a true agent of change while saying he thought that Reagan's presidency was more consequential than Clinton's or Carter's.
But what in God's name possessed him to make that kind of crack in the first place? Demeaning the wife of a predecessor was just plain thoughtless. And in the context of a press conference, somebody better tell our Lightworker that every single word a president utters is examined ten ways from Sunday for every nuance, every possible connotation.
Simply put, a president cannot afford to be "thoughtless." Look at Bush and his idiotic "crusade" crack about Afghanistan. That thoughtless comment has been played and replayed a thousand times and gave our enemies enormous ammunition.
Obama has not been his best when thinking on his feet, of that almost all analysts agree. He better get better very quickly or he will end up sticking his foot in his mouth and causing an international incident.
