Obama Apologizes For Oddly Out-Of-Place Shot At Nancy Reagan
It didn’t take long for the first gaffe, but I’m still scratching my head over this one. Barack Obama, in an otherwise pretty solid debut news conference, took an oddly tone-deaf swipe at Nancy Reagan that was both inaccurate and inappropriate, and has issued his first apology as President-Elect:
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.
“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.”
Obama was asked at his press conference today if he’d spoken to all the “living” presidents.
“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 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.
What makes this doubly odd is that Obama was the very embodiment of caution during the campaign. Hopefully he’s learned that his new role, while allowing some humor, limits his ability to make flippant off-hand remarks…
Maybe Senator Pals Around just does not like elderly white women?
Did he call Hillary too?
Speaking of Hillary, any sightings?
I read this as a pretty harmless goof. He was trying to be funny – and failed – but I think it’s pretty clear he didn’t actually mean to insult Nancy Reagan in any serious way. Kind of odd, though, in any case.
I can see Bob is going to be a model of civility and class for the next 4 years.
Of course, as I promised Wednesday.
At least he’s peaceful. Not everyone is taking things as well.
Well, the gun sales thing is not, at least predominantly, because people wish ill towards the President-Elect – rather, folks are scared that such a strong Democratic government will threaten their 2nd Amendment rights.
It’s ridiculous, I know, but I’ve heard it myself from gun owners that I work with. I tried to convince them that the LAST thing the Democrats would do would be to pick a fight over the 2nd Amendment and alienate everyone so soon after the election, but I don’t know how much headway I made…
St. Nancy employed astrologers, but did not conduct seances. The President-Elect was WAY off in his recall of what brand of woo-woo hokum Mrs. Reagan favored.