The Rose Garden Blog

Middle East Missiles

2010-02-16T14:11:00Z

Saudi Arabia asks Hillary Clinton for 'immediate resolution' over Iran . . . . . . .

Saudi Arabia said it prefers an "immediate resolution" to the crisis over Iran's nuclear program rather than sanctions, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepared to wrap up a Gulf tour on Tuesday.

US officials traveling with Clinton on the mission to drum up support for tougher action against Iran expressed satisfaction and said they were "very pleased" following her lengthy talks with King Abdullah on Monday.

But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal sounded less supportive of further sanctions against the Islamic republic, qualifying such measures as a "long-term solution."

"We see the issue in the shorter term because we are closer to the threat . . . . . . . we need an immediate resolution," Saud said in a midnight press conference after meetings with his US counterpart.

It was not immediately clear whether Saud, who spoke in English, was calling for a tough and immediate UN Security Council resolution or another solution to the perceived threat from Iran.

A Saudi foreign policy official on Tuesday stressed Riyadh was not advocating military action but rather a linkage with the Middle East peace process as a faster and more effective means to ease tensions in the region.

"There is no point in our spending all our time on sanctions which will not have an effect in the short term. We need something more tangible," he said, asking not to be identified.

"We don't want a military strike ... A military strike, we still believe, will be very counter-productive," he said.

"We need to do something on Israel and the Palestinians ... For instance, the US could get Israel to halt (Jewish) settlements" on the occupied West Bank, the official said.

"There is a credibility issue with the US administration on promises it cannot fulfill," he said, referring to the stalled peace process.

Clinton's tour of Qatar and Saudi Arabia aimed to isolate Iran from its Arab neighbours in the Gulf and to put pressure on China to drop its resistance to UN sanctions targeting mainly Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Iran last week began enriching uranium to 20 percent purity, which Washington and other capitals say adds to evidence that Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon.

Tehran denies the charge, insisting the sole goal is peaceful nuclear energy and research.

Prince Saud played down suggestions that the oil-rich kingdom could prod Beijing not to block sanctions against Tehran by guaranteeing Beijing stable oil supplies in the event of disruption from Iran.

However, he said that China, which invests heavily in and imports much of its oil from Iran, "carries its responsibilities" within the Security Council where it holds a veto power.

"And they need no suggestion from Saudi Arabia to do what they ought to do," Prince Saud added.

At the press conference in Riyadh, the veteran Saudi chief diplomat also appeared to endorse Clinton's charge, which she made in Qatar earlier on Monday, that Iran was turning into a "military dictatorship".

The Revolutionary Guards were "supplanting" the clerical and political leadership in Tehran with a more radical line, she said.

Saud said he was inclined to believe her warnings on the Revolutionary Guards. "I hope that this doesn't lead to what it gives an indication of - which is a very extremist policy," the prince said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki hit back on Tuesday, saying Clinton had tried but failed to dupe neighboring Gulf Arab states about a threat from the Islamic republic.

"We see such approaches as a new deception, although its nature is clear to the people and authorities in the region," the foreign minister said, quoted by ILNA news agency.

Clinton was in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah on Tuesday for the last leg of her tour, also aimed at gaining support for Washington's push for a resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

In Jeddah, she planned to meet with the head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world's largest pan-Islamic grouping, to introduce the new US envoy to the group.

She was also to hold a "town hall" meeting at the elite private women's college Dar al-Hekma, before returning to Washington.

Few details were available from Clinton's meeting with the king on Monday, at which they reviewed the peace process, Iran, Yemen and Afghanistan, as well as bilateral issues, according to the official Saudi news agency SPA.

US efforts to start up the peace process with Washington-mediated "proximity talks" drew doubts from Saud, who said that in the past "step by step" and "trust-building" approaches had failed to achieve anything.

Clinton and Saud also discussed the US inclusion of Saudi Arabia on a list of 14 countries whose nationals have to undergo more intense inspections when traveling to the United States.

"We have agreed to review these measures to find a middle way between security measures and the protection of civil liberties and fundamental rights," Saud said.

Full Story Provided by The Times Of India . . .

. . . . . . . Sponsored by Political Pearls

Presidents Day

2010-02-15T05:42:34Z

Washington Crossing the Delaware is an 1851 oil on canvas painting by German American artist Emanuel Leutze. It commemorates General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware on December 25, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. That action was the first move in a surprise attack against the Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey in the Battle of Trenton.

In 2004 the painting became part of the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. There are many copies of the painting, one of which is in the West Wing reception area of the White House.

More Information on Washington Crossing the Delaware with Wikipedia . . .

Due to current cutbacks and budget restraints we are recycling last year's article and complete history of Presidents Day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . Recycled Presidents Day Article From Last Year

Happy VD . . .

2010-02-14T02:46:00Z

Happy Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine's Day (commonly shortened to Valentine's Day) is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD.

It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards known as "valentines". The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely given way to mass produced greeting cards . . .

Valentine History Provided by Wikipedia

Sponsored by Happy VD

Political Obituaries

2010-02-10T09:55:00Z

Rep. John Murtha, Iraq war critic, dies at 77

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Rep. John Murtha, the tall, gruff-mannered former Marine who became the de facto voice of veterans on Capitol Hill and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died Monday. He was 77. The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering from complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., with his family at his bedside, the hospital said.

In 1974 Murtha, then an officer in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. Ethical questions often shadowed his congressional service, but he was best known for being among Congress' most hawkish Democrats. He wielded considerable clout for two decades as the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending.

Murtha voted in 2002 to authorize President George W. Bush to use military force in Iraq, but his growing frustration over the administration's handling of the war prompted him in November 2005 to call for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.

"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion," he said.

Murtha's opposition to the Iraq war rattled Washington, where he enjoyed bipartisan respect for his work on military issues. On Capitol Hill, Murtha was seen as speaking for those in uniform when it came to military matters.

Murtha "was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress, and he was incredibly effective in his service in the House," said Rep. David Obey, a Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "He understood the misery of war. Every person who serves in the military has lost an advocate and a good friend today."

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said that in part because of Murtha, "America is now on track to removing all combat troops from that country by this summer."

President Barack Obama called Murtha, who was known in his home state for helping bring money and projects to areas depressed by the decline of the coal and steel industries, "a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years" with a "tough-as-nails" reputation.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remembered Murtha as a tireless advocate for veterans and the military.

"From health care to weapons procurement, from shipbuilding to pay and benefits, no one understood the needs of our modern military better than he did," Mullen said in a statement.

"That we remain the greatest military in the history of world is testament in no small part to his vigilance and stewardship," he said.

Known for his seriousness, Murtha also had a lighter side. Gov. Ed Rendell recalled Monday that "he was a funny guy, he always enjoyed a good laugh and he was somebody who was a great and loyal friend."

Murtha was admitted to the Virginia hospital on Jan. 31 after complications arose from surgery he had received at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

Rendell said Monday that he has not decided when to schedule a special election to replace Murtha. He has 10 days by law; the political parties must come up with their own candidates. The governor said that it would save taxpayer money to hold the election on May 18, the state's planned primary date, but that he might set it sooner in the event of urgent congressional issues.

Murtha was born June 17, 1932. The former newspaper delivery boy left college in 1952 to join the Marines, where he rose through the ranks to become a drill instructor at Parris Island, S.C., and later served in the 2nd Marine Division. He settled in Johnstown, then volunteered for Vietnam, where he served as an intelligence officer and earned a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

He was serving in the Pennsylvania House in Harrisburg when he was elected to Congress in a special election in 1974. In 1990, he retired from the Marine Reserves as a colonel.

"Ever since I was a young boy, I had two goals in life — I wanted to be a colonel in the Marine Corps and a member of Congress," Murtha wrote in his 2004 book, "From Vietnam to 9/11."

Murtha's criticism of the Iraq war intensified in 2006, when he accused Marines of murdering Iraqi civilians "in cold blood" at Haditha, after one Marine died and two were wounded by a roadside bomb.

Critics said Murtha unfairly held the Marines responsible before an investigation was concluded and fueled enemy retaliation. He said that the war couldn't be won militarily and that such incidents dimmed the prospect for a political solution.

"This is the kind of war you have to win the hearts and minds of the people," Murtha said. "And we're set back every time something like this happens."

Murtha was a perennial target of critics of so-called pay-to-play politics. He routinely drew the attention of ethical watchdogs with off-the-floor activities, from his entanglement in the Abscam corruption probe three decades ago to the more recent scrutiny of the connection between special-interest spending known as earmarks and the raising of cash for campaigns.

Murtha defended the practice of earmarking. The money, he said, benefited his constituents.

Complete Biography On Colonel & Congressman John Murtha . . .

. . . Full Story With Yahoo News & AP

Saints Win - Of Course . . .

2010-02-08T08:27:00Z

MIAMI (Reuters) - New Orleans' Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts Sunday was destiny, Saints quarterback Drew Brees said.

Brees, who joined the Saints as a free agent four years ago with the city still reeling from Hurricane Katrina, was named the game's Most Valuable Player after throwing two touchdowns and completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards in the 31-17 win.

"It was all meant to be, it's all destiny," said a visibly emotional Brees as confetti rained down over Dolphin stadium following the Saints first Super Bowl triumph.

"We just believed in ourselves. We knew that we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us. I've tried to imagine what this moment would be like for a long time, and it's even better than expected.

"We've got the best ownership family in the league, the best head coach, the best general manager and the best team and we proved that tonight," he added.

Brees, who began his career in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, joined the Saints in 2006 and became the key element in coach Sean Payton's rebuilding of a franchise that had struggled for so many years.

. . . . . . . Continued Full Story With Reuters

Sponsored by Presidential Bookie . . . . . . .

Floral Recovery

2010-02-06T06:09:00Z

Can flowers speed up the recovery process?

A recent Harvard University study indicates that fresh cut flowers in the home will both boost energy and lessen feelings of anxiety and depression. Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D, the scientist who conducted the study concludes, “Our results suggest that flowers have a positive impact on our well being.”

Whether placed in a bedroom or a hospital room, a beautiful bouquet has been scientifically proven to lift the spirits of someone who is feeling a little under the weather.

. . . . . . . Information provided by Florapedia & ProFlowers

Brought 2 You By Floral Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . .

Stale Milk

2010-02-05T04:26:00Z

Truth Weaver

People ask me all the time what my opinion of Rush Limbaugh is since I listen to the broadcast and actually use to watch his television show quite some time ago for the brief moment that it was on the tube. Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser was on around the same time or something like that and so I watched. Rush is very entertaining. So is a ball of yarn. Rush had his day a long time ago before all the theatrical hate set in. When I listen to him now and hear that deep throaty chuckle right at the end of something that was to be extremely serious or the crumpling of paper just centimeters away from the microphone that stinks of overpriced cigars and leftover cognac - Anyways back to the question I get all the time and that is what do I think of Rush since I have several websites and articles dedicated to the playful pundit?

My reply is simple . . .

Listening to Rush is like staring at stale milk. You may want to have a glance at it. Possibly even take a whiff. But you definitely do not want to have a gulp from that glass if you know what I mean.

I wish Rush all the best in his early retirement from the radio business.

Editorial Rubbish Written by RF1

Government One O One

2010-02-04T00:57:00Z

50 States so you get 50 Governors

List of all Fifty Governors and Vital Information

2 Senators per State so 100 Senators

Vital information and history on The United States Senate

435 Congressmen . . . . . . Census Determined

Complete breakdown of U.S. House of Representatives

Don’t Ask - Don’t Tell

2010-02-03T05:21:00Z

Washington . . .

McCain against changing policy on gays in military?

Sen. John McCain is bristling at the Pentagon's decision to launch a yearlong study into allowing gays to serve openly in uniform, saying he is "deeply disappointed" and calling the assessment "clearly biased" because it presumes the law should be changed.

McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said the current policy is not ideal, but that it has been effective.

. . . Full Story with The Washington Post

Bipartisan Corruption

2010-02-01T20:22:00Z

Editorial Rubbish

You ever wonder what percent of our Senate is crooked or corrupt? Well apparently 70% seems to be the rough estimate folks . . . . Teddy’s seat turns brown probably on purpose with some backdoor deal so Republicans don’t keep on crying d blues. However, there was absolutely no reason for The Senate to give Ben Bernanke another turn at his voodoo economics that only laced the deep pockets of the greasy banking cartel that really runs this Country and free world.

Editorial Rubbish written by Mr. Richard Fox

Bernanke Again . . .

2010-01-29T01:08:00Z

The U.S. Senate confirmed Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second four-year term on Thursday, but not before lawmakers from both parties skewered him for his performance as a steward of the economy and the banking system.

The 70-30 vote came amid growing criticism of the Federal Reserve for secrecy and controversial decisions made during the $182 billion rescue of troubled insurance giant American International Group.

Ahead of the vote, Bernanke agreed to an unprecedented audit of the Fed's handling of AIG matters by the Government Accountability Office, the watchdog arm of Congress. That's only one of a number of challenges he faces in his second term directing the nation's central bank.

To his supporters, the quiet, professorial Fed chairman, a former Princeton economist, saved the global financial system from ruin over the past two years. His detractors called him complicit in the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

"Bernanke fiddled while our markets burned," Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the Senate Banking Committee's top Republican, said before his "no" vote.

Complaints were bipartisan.

"The American people have the right to ask whether the Fed is truly committed to supporting Main Street's economy, not just Wall Street," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. "And that is why I cannot support his reappointment."

. . . . . . . continued full story with The Tribune at the San Luis Obispo

State Of The Union

2010-01-27T23:28:00Z

ROSES ARE RED . . .

President Obama prepares for his first State of The Union address this evening.

Some words from the fabulous early 60's hit by legendary Bobby Vinton . . .

Roses Are Red
Violets Are Blue
Sugar is Sweet, My Love
Good Luck, May God Bless You

Full Song Below
. . . Roses Are Red (1962)
Sponsored by Rose Garden Radio

God Damn . . .

2010-01-20T23:53:00Z

1 Hell Of A Year!

GITMO is still a no go. Troops are being deployed like candy at Halloween time. Our National Debt is running so high that other countries are starting to look at us twice when it comes to credit. And finally to end the President's year or begin his new one to the right with a freshly elected Republican Senator from Democratic dominated Massachusetts. So much for the Super Majority now with the new Centerfold Senator - Scott Brown.

. . . . . . Written by RF1

Senator Scott Brown

The Washington Post . . . . . . .

State Sen. Scott Brown won a remarkable upset victory over state Attorney General Martha Coakley (D) last night in a Massachusetts Senate special election, a victory likely to spawn broad-ranging political and policy consequences heading into the midterm elections.

"Tonight the independent voice of Massachusetts has spoken," Brown said to raucuous cheers at his victory rally.

Brown's victory is the first for Republicans at the Senate level in Massachusetts since 1972 and he becomes the lone GOP voice in a 12 person federal delegation from the Bay State.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama called Brown and "congratulated Senator Brown on his victory and a well-run campaign."

While it is a historic win within Massachusetts, the implications of Brown's victory for the national political scene are even more critical.

Brown will give Republicans a 41st seat in the Senate, robbing Democrats of the filibuster-proof majority the party had used to pass President Obama's health care plan late last year. In the immediate lead-up to last night's vote, Democrats - including the White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) - insisted that the party would move forward on health care but it is unclear whether that bravado will carry over in the coming days as the party seeks to deal with Coakley's stunning upset.

"I have no interest in sugar coating what happened in Massachusetts," said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (N.J.). "There is a lot of anxiety in the country right now. Americans are understandably impatient."

. . . . . . . continued full story with The Washington Post

My Little China Girl

2009-03-31T19:27:00Z

China will continue buying U.S. government debt while paying close attention to possible fluctuations in the value of those assets, a vice governor of Beijing's central bank said Monday.

Investing in U.S. Treasury bills is "an important component part of China's foreign currency reserve investments," People's Bank of China Vice Governor Hu Xiaolian said at a news conference on Monday.

"So as an important component we are naturally relatively concerned with the safety and profitability of U.S. government bonds," Hu said - a statement apparently aimed at concerns that rising debt to fund Washington's stimulus package could spur inflation and weaken the dollar.

China is Washington's biggest foreign creditor, holding an estimated $1 trillion in U.S. government debt. A weaker dollar would erode the value of those assets.

. . . continued story with The Huffington Post

e d i t o r i a l rubbish

One of my favorite songs by recording artist David Bowie is China Girl. If you read the lyrics carefully you will not only find a true love story that spans two very different continents & cultures but a descriptive essay on Hillary Clinton & her travels to go beg and or threaten China to keep buying our debt for . . .

"It would not be in China's interest if we were unable to get our economy moving again,"

Below is just a sample of the words that David Bowie uses in this encryptive but melodic tale concerning our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton & her recent trip to China . . .

I stumble into town just like a sacred cow
Visions of swastikas in my head
Plans for everyone
It's in the white of my eyes

My little China Girl
You shouldn't mess with me
I'll ruin everything you are
I'll give you television
I'll give you eyes of blue
I'll give you a man who wants to rule the world

And when I get excited
My little China Girl says
Oh baby just you shut your mouth

David Bowie's Smash Hit China Girl
Hillary Clinton in China

RF1

Buy, Sell or Trade . . .

2009-03-30T21:02:00Z

November 4th, 2008 DJIA (close) 9,625.28

"Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential." POTUS

"And I'm absolutely confident that credit is going to be flowing again, that businesses are going to start seeing opportunities for investment, they're going to start hiring again, people are going to be put back to work." POTUS

"What you're now seeing is profit-and-earning ratios are starting to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a long-term perspective on it." POTUS

RF1
Dump it all & Trade commodities . . .

Hit The Road Jack . . .

2009-03-30T11:19:00Z

General Motors Corp. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner will step down immediately at the request of the White House, and new directors will make up the majority of GM's board in a major management shake-up of the country's largest automaker, GM confirmed Monday.

The sweeping changes come just hours before President Barack Obama plans to unveil additional restructuring efforts designed to save GM and perhaps its Detroit-area competitor, Chrysler LLC, both of which are living on $17.4 billion in government loans and have requested $21.6 billion more.

story with Topix . . .

. . . full bio on former Chairman & CEO Rick Wagoner

YouTube video of Ray Charles signing Hit The Road Jack . . .

Margin Call Monday

2009-03-29T00:03:00Z

The Rose Garden Blog is happy to announce one of its newest sites.
www.MarginCallMonday.com

GITMO FOOD STAMPS

2009-03-27T23:05:00Z

During his news conference, US National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair said the Obama administration is still wrestling with what to do with the remaining 240 detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, which the president has ordered closed.

Some of the detainees, deemed non-threatening, may be released into the United States as free men, Blair confirmed.

That would happen when they can't be returned to their home countries, because the governments either won't take them or the U.S. fears they will be abused or tortured. That is the case with 17 Uighers (WEE'-gurz), Chinese Muslim separatists who were cleared for release from the jail long ago. The U.S. can't find a country willing to take them, and it will not turn them over to China.

Blair said the former prisoners would have to get some sort of assistance to start their new lives in the United States.

"We can't put them out on the street," he said.

Blair said the U.S. government is building dossiers on each of the prisoners at Guantanamo and is still developing the process that will determine what happens to them. Some may face criminal trials in the U.S. civilian courts and be imprisoned in U.S. jails. Others will be remanded to their home governments for continued jailing or potential rehabilitation.

The Pentagon claims more than 60 former Guantanamo inmates have been released by their home governments and are believed to be engaged in militant activities. It has not released a list of those former prisoners. Two of the top al-Qaida leaders in Yemen are former inmates, according to both al-Qaida and U.S. intelligence officials. And the Taliban's top operations officer in southern Afghanistan was released from Guantanamo in 2007, according to U.S. intelligence and military officials.

On another matter, Blair said The United States will no longer waterboard prisoners - a form of simulated drowning that was used against three alleged terrorists in 2002 and 2003. But other "enhanced interrogation techniques" are being considered for inclusion in the methods finally approved for use. He did not say what methods he would consider retaining. The CIA's enhanced interrogation program is classified. Blair is a key figure in the White House review of the CIA's interrogation program.

full AP story . . .

e d i t o r i a l rubbish

I understand the international pressure for President Obama to release all of the detainees from GITMO but what is the proper protocol for suspect terrorist rehabilitation? I am not sure what the hell goes on down there at Guantanamo Bay & I am not sure if every single prisoner there is a legitimate threat or not. However, I am not a big fan of terrorist dumping on the streets of our Country. I imagine if one of these 17 former Chinese Muslim GITMO members moved into your neighborhood, you would receive some sort of notice, similar to that of a convicted sex offender or pedophile . . . I hope.

written by RF1
sponsored by POTUS DAILY

Spread My Wealth

2009-03-26T20:45:00Z

Chuck Yeager is a retired Brigadier General in the United States Air Force and a noted test pilot . In 1947, he became the first person (at age 24) to travel faster than the speed of sound . . .

This last week (at age 36) I became the fastest person to pawn off their Rolex just to try and keep the lights on at my business . . . .

Help spread the wealth around my way please.
If you like what you read then send some Obama cash at once.
Remember you can’t take it with you, but you definitely can send it to me . . . .

Richard Fox
PO BOX 923
Scottsdale, AZ 85252

< < < Full bio on American Patriot Chuck Yeager

YouTube video of me pawning my own watch $ $ $

The Perfect Game . . .

2009-03-25T16:44:00Z

After comparing his bowling to the Special Olympics on "The Tonight Show" Thursday, President Obama called Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver to apologize before the program even aired.

“He expressed his disappointment and he apologized, in a way that was very moving,” Shriver said on ABC's “Good Morning America.” “It’s important to see that words hurt, and words do matter. And these words that in some respect can be seen as humiliating or a put-down of people with special needs do cause pain, and they do result in stereotypes."

Obama told Shriver he wants to have some Special Olympics competitors over to the White House for basketball or bowling. Shriver is the son of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President Kennedy's sister.

The president had been making an attempt at self-deprecating humor in his appearance on Jay Leno's show by saying that a recent 129 he scored in the White House bowling alley had been "like Special Olympics, or something."

He and his staff quickly recognized the mistake and moved to limit the damage.

While Obama called Shriver, White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters flying back to Washington with Obama on Air Force One that the president had “made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to disparage the Special Olympics.”

“He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world,” Burton said. Aside from the regrettable appearance of a president even implicitly poking fun at the disabled, Obama’s comments came on the same day that he had appeared with California First Lady Maria Shriver, an early supporter and the sister of Tim Shriver. Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded the athletic competition for the disabled in 1968.

Full Foot In Mouth Story with POLITICO . . .

Obama Bowling Video