It seemed like a good way for the President to communicate with Americans in a relaxed way. Obama's emphasized since the campaign that he wants more of a partnership between the White House and the people and this is one way of creating that relationship.

no highlight on the special olympics joke? if this was a former president CS would be all over it.

What special olympic joke? Please tell me he didn't go there.

oh piper he did

when talking about the bowling alley in the white house, and if he had removed it:

"Telling Leno that he had not removed the alley, Obama said he had recently recorded a 129 game, significantly better than he had in a widely mocked campaign appearance, when he rolled a gutter ball on camera.

Then he added: “It was like Special Olympics or something"

Yep, he went there. Maybe he should practice the fine art of STFU.

Yeah he went there.

Overall it was okay. Although I can't believe I stayed up for it. I have decided that Obama is good at not answering questions. Or at least only answering as much of a question as he wants to.

I did like his answer to the dog question though.

Here's the transcript:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/us/politics/20obama.text.html

Guess he will blame that disgusting joke on the teleprompter operator?

he did make the special olympics joke and yet all the media sources are saying how great he did and that it was "just the one error". can you imagine if bush had done that.?

so to make it up to the mentally challenged, he wants to have some of the special olympic athletes to the white house and play a game of hoops. i would rather he would have said "it was insensitive, i know that and it won't happen again." it's actually the fake gloss over "let's be buds" art that is the most irritating.

he said it. he should own it.

oh no lickety- didnt you know only the rich, conservatives/republicans and George Bush can be bigots. Obama and the left are the champions of the underpriviledge.

Yeah, that was on the news yesterday even before the show aired.

That's what happens when he speaks without his teleprompter!

I read that while reading from a teleprompter the other day, he thanked himself. I think its time to start weaning him off of the teleprompter.

I stayed up to watch and then fell asleep half-way through. I might try to watch it again.

I heard about that too, Piper! It was at the party he threw for the Irish Prime Minister...can you imagine it? "I'd just like to thank...uh...President Obama for throwing this great party!"

Wow.

Wow he said something stupid..the last president was such a great speaker I don't know how Obama is going do it.

Yeah, momma tikita!

That's ridiculous. I cannot imagine the outrage if Bush had made a "joke" like that.

Ummm.... I can!

WOW Citizen, nice gloss job. If our former moron of a president had said what Barack did, he'd have been crucified and rightly so. But this is the Almighty Barack! He s**** gold and walks on water right? WRONG.

He has severely offended those with disabilities. My niece won 4 gold medals at the Special Olympics in swimming last year, and all this statement did was belittle her accomplishment.

Yet, no mention of it in the article. Nice unbiased reporting.

"Wow he said something stupid..the last president was such a great speaker I don't know how Obama is going do it."

Regardless, it WAS stupid.

Stupid is a nice way of saying it. Unthinking, unfeeling, uncaring and unaware would be better descriptions.

I was speaking of misreading the teleprompter, but I suppose that could go for his response on the tonight show...

i had to tell my 2nd and 4th graders about this comment today so they would be prepared if it was discussed at school. their older sister is severely impaired (can't write the "m.r." term on here) and if it comes up that the president thinks jokes about special olympics are funny i wanted to assure them that no, they are not and the president should have known better.

what if someone said they played basketball like a black guy, and then said "oh, just kidding! come on over and let's have a photo opp to show we all play nice". would that be responded to with "yeah, but bush was an idiot!!!!!" i don't think so.

Great points lickety. And isn't it sad that we now have to "arm and prepare" our children for things like that when they go to school? When I was in school the biggest preparation I got was my Mom telling me to ignore the kids calling me names.

momma!

I was chatting with my friend online during the interview, and he kept saying he couldn't focus on what he was saying because he kept checking out Obama's skinny ankles.

LOL he does have some skinny legs!

Did anyone prepare their kids for comments at school when Bush made a crack to a sight impaired reporter about wearing sunglasses? Or when he referred to Pakistanis as Pakis?

Special Olympics released a statement...

http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0320_so_statement.pdf

Surely stephley you aren't going to DEFEND what Obama said, after you so soundly criticized all the stupid things Bush said?

I won't defend it, but I will say I find the outrage somewhat affected, and the claims that people would be so much more angry had it been Bush completely untrue.

I beg to disagree with you Stephley. Had George W. Bush said this, the media would have a field day, simply due to the nature of the media. And yes, the president of the Special Olympics forgave him, but then again he's a Kennedy. Just a thought for you.

He seems very down to earth which is brilliant as he knows what growing up without privaliges is like and also he wasnt in poverty so he has a balanced view on everybody and has no chip on his shoulder about the rich either....i think it is important that he said that people know he and his party need time its not going to change over night, that could never happen and i hope most people realise that. He is a very good asset.

"BUT BUSH SAID....." Waaahhhh.

@hills...ahahahahahahahahhahahaha

Of course you'd disagree with me Lady, but that doesn't change the historic fact of how the media did handle Bush's gaffes.

Stephley, come on now. You are a very smart girl. Honestly, you think if Bush said that the media wouldn't be well involved in a "burn him at the stake" moment right now?

Bush bush bush. FGS steph, please at least own up to your own flubs. Why is that so difficult since after all, he's now "the man"

Lady, I'd say about 95% of people are someone online that we can't be in real life. We're nastier, more point blank in what we say. A pushover in real life? Be a snarky ball buster online. No one knows you, they never WILL know you, so you can say and do whatever you want and the only recourse is possibly getting a warning or being blocked.

It's not necessarily bad, I think in some ways it helps mild meek people learn how to stick up for themselves. But when reading stuff, don't take it personal. It's just words on a page.

Hey, Lady, good to see you!

Clara-I am talking about the comments made over a long period of time that have given me this impression. But thank you.

Hi Piper! I am home sick today so I can play online

gotta love sick days! Hope you feel better!

Thanks! I miss all of this excitement and bitterness during the school year

posted this before but just feel the need to repeat it--a quote by our now First Lady with just a slight change:

"for the first time in my adult life, I am ashamed of my country...."

Yeah, not much has changed. Even though we did get "change".

"Honestly, you think if Bush said that the media wouldn't be well involved in a "burn him at the stake" moment right now?"
No I don't think that because Bush DID make a fair number of equal gaffes and no one did call for burning him at the stake.

"I won't defend it, but I will say I find the outrage somewhat affected, and the claims that people would be so much more angry had it been Bush completely untrue."

Okay. This is a surprise!! (not.)

Dear Obama,

Leave the "trying to be funny" to the comedians and go fix our economy.

Sincerely, Krystina

krys & cc