Obama's first gaffe

By Nico Hines

It was hardly a George W. Bush style "misunderestimated" moment, but Barack Obama was reminded this weekend just how careful he is going to have to be for the next four years. Responding to a question about the number of former presidents he had consulted ahead of entering the White House, he said that he had spoken only to the living ones because: "I don't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing about seances."

Mrs Reagan was reportedly fond of consulting astrologers while she was First Lady in the 1980s. Within hours of the remark Mr Obama had called to apologise to the 87-year-old who is recovering from a broken hip but the President-elect's first gaffe has been ushered into the Hall of Shame.

Comments

[Adrian]

Seems not really to be even remotely gaffe-like.

[Andreas]

Ushered into the Hall of Shame? By whom? Nico Hines get a grip. His statement was simply a joke, and very good one. Judging by the laughs he got out of it you have serious lack of humor. Ah yes. Now I remember. You're British!

[Ronald Evans]

Senator Obama, Sir, you made no gaffe. It was witty and entirely justified. I wish the stupid press would stop trying to manufacture controversy where there is none.

[John Louis Swaine]

Just be glad he got the "57 States" Gaffe out of the way before he was elected. That one is almost of "Food on your family" quality.

Biden's "3 letter word: 'JOBS!' " was fairly spectacular on the campaign trail too.

[John O'Farrell]

Already having broken two of his campain promises without having set foot in the White House, one where the candidate of "change" was going to bring a new tone to Washington then choses far left, foul mouthed, liberal and Clinton hack Rahm Emanuel as his CoS and has also stepped back from his claim that lobbyists would have no place in his new administration but then sent signals to the lobbyists that they can get jobs with him,
Obama goes further by breaking the first unwritten rule of being a President, that is not to speak badly of or insult former Presidents or their families. He used that line to cover up his initial gaffe 'um uh I've spoken to all the living ones' and realising what a dumb thing he had just said follows up by an insult to Nancy Regan which, incedentally, he also gaffed as it was Hillary who had the seances not Nancy. It was an ignorant remark to make and shows just how useless Obama is without his teleprompter. As an aside, what exactly is 'The Office of the President Elect' sign sported on his lecturn all about? There is no such 'office', this is another of Obama's delusions of grandeur like his personal made up seal he first touted around the primaries.

[Rosemary]

How was this a gaffe? It seems a perfectly sensible remark to have made. If the Reagans really took seances seriously as a tool of government decision-making then they must both have been certifiable.

[Ove Wengler]

And, of course, it was Hillary Clinton who tried seances, trying to reach Eleanor Roosevelt. That should have been part of the story, don't you think?
Ove Wengler

[Graeme]

Who cares!! Just a waste of time publishing this "story".

[Lucie]

How is that a gaffe? Sounds more like a light-hearted comment to me. Especially if she did in fact consult supernatural sources for advice! Worth a laugh surely.

[David]

Hardly a gaffe. Come on.

[David]

This was a woman who used 'spiritual powers' to advise her husband on his course of action as President. Open to anybody's ridicule surely.

[Rosemary]

How was this a gaffe? It seems a perfectly sensible remark to have made. If the Reagans really took seances seriously as a tool of government decision-making then they must both have been certifiable.

[Chris]

2 separate things.
Bush's gaffs are idiotic and slapstick.
This is funny, not very PC but funny and true.

[muriel]

What is interesting to me is not that he made a gaffe, but his sensitivity to saying things that are in harmony with his sensory perception; and the grace he showed in the immediacy of a shout out to Ms Reagan

[DREW]

This was a gaffe in the eyes of half the country because the Reagans are beloved by many, regardless of thier opinion of astrology. You may also have noticed every democrate on TV warning the people that change will take time, that is because Obama, Pelosi and Reid are going to be lightening rods for criticism anytime anything goes wrong, regardless of blame. I voted for Obama, but this campaign for change is far from over.

I appears that many of Mr. Obama supporters do not know the difference bewteen a seance and an astrology reading.
A seance is an attempt to communicate with the spirits of dead individuals. An astrology reading is an attempt to predict the future by the position of the stars. I is rumored that the three wisemen used astrology to detremine the date and location of the birth of the Messiah. As far as it been reported in the mainstream media, Mrs. Reagan never held a seance. She reportedly did use astrology to determine the best dates to hold social functions. It may came as shock to the intellectuals in their ivory towers but many cultures "believe" in astrology. In dealing with the world leaders, Mr. Obama should think twice before snapping off a slam at someone just to cover his ineptitude.
How many letters in Jobs, Mr. Obama?
How many states form the United States, Mr. Obama?
How many providences compose the country of Iraq. Mr. Biden?
At what AGI will you increase taxes for MJF,120k, 200k or 250k, Mr. Biden or Mr. Obama?

[NL]

The story was worth it for John O' Farrell's comment: bitter much??? hahahaha

[Richard Walden]

What Gaffe??? It was a very funny yet non disparging remark. I think almost everyone is aware of Nancy Regan's excentricities.

[yeatsgirl]

classy remark! And inaccurate. Not that it matters, though -- right? God save the King?

[ca]

Of course this was an inappropiate remark. Do not try to regard this as something that was OK or funny. Just because your an Obama fan does not mean that he can get away with making such ridiculous statements, hence the reason he apologized.

[Sharon Avery-Fahlstrom]

Ove Wengler is confused. Hillary Clinton spoke aloud to Eleanor Roosevelt as one might speak to any absent, inspiring role-model. It's a way of examining and framing your own thoughts.
Nancy Reagan, on the other hand, regularly consulted with astrologers and planned her actions in response to their readings. This was seriously irrational and, to the extent it may have influenced the president, dangerous.

[Nigel]

C'mon, it was a gaffe! And from a man who has hardly put a foot wrong, all campaign. But did you see his face on TV? He looked as if he had aged 10 years. I don't think he had slept for days.

[Marc]

To John O'Farrell: Obama's "delusions of grandeur?" Hmmm...he was just elected President of the United States by the largest vote count (not to be confused with margin of victory) in history...doesn't get much grander than that, John.

[dick]

Gee, you Brits really have a strange sense of humor. Telling lies about a former First Lady and then later saying I apologize is one thing. Reporting the story as if it was not a lie when the actual one with the seances was Hillary Clinton is quite another. If it were true, then maybe it would be funny. Since it is not true and the lady in question is recuperating from a broken hip, it is not funny at all; it is just mean-spirited on the part of a schmuck who has repeated shown how little he thinks of women. After all, he got their support even though he did not promote them in his campaign and seriously underpaid them compared to the men he had working for them and has mocked them over and over. He is just a low-life who has been promoted way over his abilities and we will be the ones to suffer for that.