President Obama apologized for comments about Special Olympics
President Barack Obama was a guest March 19 on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. (AP photo)
President Barack Obama issued an apology in reference to a comment he made about the Special Olympics while appearing on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno.
During his appearance on the show March 19, the president was talking about how terrible his bowling skills are. He compared his bowling skills to the athlete’s skills in the Special Olympics. (Which is for athletes who have disabilities).
After realizing what he did, the president called Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologize.
On “Good Morning America,” Shriver said the president “expressed his disappointment and he apologized in a way that was very moving. He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate this population.”
”I think it’s important to see that words hurt and words do matter. And these words that in some respect can be seem as humiliating or a put down to people with special needs do cause pain and they do result in stereotypes.”
Shriver also said the president expressed interest in inviting some of the Special Olympics athletes to the White House to play basketball or to bowl.
He insults them then he invites them to the White House. Is that how he operates now?
On a serious note, I believe the president is genuinely sorry for his remarks. He was talking with Jay Leno, so he was probably just trying to be funny, which is okay.
But next time he should be funny by making jokes about Republicans or his other political rivals, and he should leave the Special Olympics alone.
Tim Henley
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Comments
Although I was a little disturbed about Obama’s comment about Special Olympics, it was pretty sad that the national news media jumps on the negative band wagon about Obama’s comments about Special Olympics. However, when the 2008 World Winter Special Olympics came to the US (Boise, ID), not one national new media covered the event. Over 2000 Athletes came from all over the world to Boise, ID. It was pretty sad that news medias were there from other county, but not our own.
Get off the negative band wagon and get your priorities right.
Todd Inman
Nampa, ID
Alot of people want our/MY president to fail…so yeah they will jump at every ooportunity to put him down…you will not succeed in destroying Pres Obama because GOD is with him!!!so all ur evil thoughts and plots will bounce back at u because “greater is HE that is in Obama than all of u put together!!!”
We the real people who make up this great country as well as the rest of the(fck those dumb ass EU politicians) r with u til death Mr. President!!!!
I think in these times, that words may when heard in context that are meant a certain way should not be brought up as an insult, when you know the conotation at the time it was said. It was meant to be funny and he was just being a person and human. It’s said when we have come to a time that we have to weigh all our words on a silver platter to the American public. Try it in your own home, and find out that it’s tight rope that causes stress and tension that is not necessary in a relationship. So Obama’s relation ship to the American people, should not be put under this terrible stress, when he is working so hard for us, and he is just being a person. A poke at this type of fun should have been viewed as a shout out not a put down.