I just spoke with a reader who thinks that The Star should write about several recent mistakes that Barack Obama has made recently while speaking: Citing the wrong name for a Nazi concentration camp that a relative helped free, giving the wrong number of states in the U.S., or referring to Memorial Day as Veterans Day.
The caller correctly notes that much has been made of both Presidents Bush and their problems with public speaking over the years. With George W., it's such a foregone conclusion that he has trouble speaking publicly that he himself makes jokes about it.
In general, though, I don't particularly think that mistakes in speaking are much in the way of news, especially when it's extemporaneous speech. Almost nobody in the country gets more scrutiny than presidents and presidential candidates. Clearly, Obama knows how many states there are. And for all the Democrats quick to make fun of George W. Bush's pronunciation of "nuclear," there certainly are millions of others -- including former president Jimmy Carter -- who say the word exactly the same way. As for myself, I have a number of words that always seem to trip my own tongue up.
At any rate, Obama's verbal miscues might make for a good opinion column topic, but I think many readers would see bias in a news story on the subject.
UPDATE: Whoops -- I didn't even notice that "The Buzz" on Page A-2 today mentions one of these incidents. Doesn't bother me there, as that's a collection of oddities from the political world.
Bias
It sure seemed more "newsworthy" to the media when McCain made a mistake.
It's a whole different category when Hillary "misspoke." The media were complicit in allowing her to frame it as a "mistake" rather than what it truly was: a fabrication.
Why are so many journalistists so biased that they can't even see that they are?
Fair is fair
It appears to me that the media has been highly slanted in favor of Obama, and that he has been given a free pass all too often. I am happy with the Star for not jumping on the anti-Clinton bandwagon over Senator Clinton's remarks in South Dakota about campaigns running well into June in the past, in which she mentioned RFK's assassination taking place in June while he was campaigning in primaries. I've made the point many times that "stuff happens" and that Obama is likely to drive some nuts to extremes, and maybe that's what she was alluding to, but she never mentioned Obama. And yet the howling in the media over this comment was deafening. So thank you, KC Star, for not taking that plunge.
In most media, when she "misspoke" or "mis-remembered" her trip to Bosnia, she was called a liar, and that bad rap is still going on today. But when Obama states untruths repeatedly in speeches, those are called "mistakes."
Is it newsworthy that Obama is getting a reputation as a Gaffe King second only to W? It think it's worth more than a momentary giggle in The Buzz.
And speaking of The Buzz, I have noticed it is following the trend of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Letterman, and other "hip" shows more and more. It seems the editorial guidelines are "never speak unkindly of Obama, but nail Hillary as unprincipled and outrageous, and always make fun of McCain's age and memory lapses." The Daily Show used to be must-see TV for me. Now I rarely watch it. The Buzz should play more fairly than the "in the tank for Obama" elitists.
srcowell, I have to say that
srcowell, I have to say that the Clinton story about Bosnia wasn't a slip of the tongue -- that was in a completely different category of misstatement. I'm talking about things that the candidates clearly don't mean or believe (like the 57 states comment).
Obama
His mistakes are a sign of how little he knows of history, and also a pathalogical need to be in the spotlight. The Memorial Day mistake is just ignorant, most 3rd graders know Memorial Day is for fallen soldiers not all vetrans, that is why we have veterans day as well. The prison camp mistake shows his ignorance of history, anyone who studied WW2 knows Auswitch was in Poland and that the Russians were in charge of that region. Obama also said it was his uncle, he doesn't know his mother eas an only child. This is pandering of the worst kind, and he is upset because he was caught. Obama also cited his grandparents coming to America because of the work the Kennedy family did, the only problem is they came 10 years before the Kennedy initiative. Obama needs to get a fact checker, and stop trying to pander to every group he speaks with.
Normally I would completely
Normally I would completely agree with you that their mis steps in public speaking are not really note worthy let alone news worthy. Simply because they (Hillary, Barry, and McCain) have had to speak to millions of people nearly every day for more than a year with little to no breaks. Now having said that, I do think that Barry's mis steps in his speaking or 'gaffs' are some what concerning, for one I have a hard time seeing how ANYONE running for president of the U.S. can possibly EVER forget how many states there are. But maybe in a long day and long speach words just come out I could see that possibly. But at the same time you have to consider the number of missteps he has made and couple those with the other issues that pertain to him, such as the Wright issue, the fact that his wife comes off to many Americans as the female version of Wright, the fact that he has continually made comment after comment about white Americans, and putting them as the cause of so many wrongs in America. For me personally it all adds up to a man that is so far out of reach as to who it is in this country that has ALWAYS been the class that gets presidents elected. Not to mention he seems so out of touch with all Americans I can't possibly understand why anyone is interested in voting for him. I can't even understand why black america is voting for this guy, what part of the fact he has nothing in common with the average black person aside from skin tone don't they get. He has never lived a life of poverty or oppression. He has always lived a life of prosperity and opportunity. So for me I have to consider all those things along with his 'missteps' at speaking.