"Self righteousness is a powerful and addictive emotion to some people."

My brother, afflicted with CP, thought it was funny as hell. I quoted him there.

Rabbi, maybe you don't have enough to do right now and thought you could squeeze the self-righteousness teet for a little self-esteem, maybe that's what this is.

Your angst over this is far more annoying than anything Obama said or even could have said on the Leno show. Get a life.

Things must be looking up. Why else focus on this non-issue when we're in an economic meltdown and fighting two wars?

its funny watching the jewish media try to undermine obama on every issue no matter how small...MEMO TO THE LOBBY AND THEIR MEDIA......WE GET IT YOUR MAD THAT OBAMA WONT BOMB IRAN,AND IS FORCING PEACE ON YOU ANIMALS

Obama was laughing at himself, not at Special Olympians. He made a slip, and quickly apologized for it. And as for the laughing on 60 Minutes, anyone with half a brain (excuse me, was that un-PC?) can see that he was laughing at the irony of the situation, that he has to give money to the financial sector but not to the auto industry. Irony, get it? I think that even the mentally retarded can get that concept, but not Republicans.

As for being against those with special needs - how is it that someone who claims to speak for the parents of special needs kids but cuts the budget for services for them can be considered a hero (Sarah Palin), but someone who is increasing the budget can be considered the goat because he made a slip of the tongue?

All of us carry our own scars and open sores. Some quite unconsciously let the world view, some make the world acknowledge them, and some do not allow even themselves to remember how they got there. A measure of each one's humanity is how we deal with our wounds and the wounds of others.

That having been said, fundamental decency demands that each of avoid wounding those who lack the resources to compensate for the hundred thoughtless jokes and insults hurled their way each day. Anyone who doesn't understand should spend some time alone, and figure out why.

fr inverness1:

>...When they are shown to be prejudiced bigots (as Obama has) they should be held accountable for their views....

President Obama is NOT a "prejudiced bigot". Grow UP and get a life.

The Rabbi is lecturing us about "shame" The Rabbi is Jewish. Jews are behaving "shamefully" in Palestine. Is the Rabbi a hypocrite by lecturing us about "shame" while his religion is acting "shamefully"

No, I guess not. Anyone who points this out is automatically "anti-semetic" but not like anyone who criticizes Obama is "racist"
More hypocrisy?

"So let us all continue to make jokes, but not ones that hurt other people."

this idiotic closing statement ignores the fact that some people DESERVE to have their feelings hurt (because they are douchebags) or who should learn to tolerate teasing. your sweeping statement makes no exception for these targets.

i'm tired of people taking offense all the time. don't they get tired of being constantly perturb-able?

Special Olympians suck at physicial sports.
Barack Obama sucks at bowling.
Ergo, Barack Obama bowls like a special olympian.

It is logical. It's not nice. Mr President has been informed that it hurts some people's feelings. That's life. Live with it. Now focus on what's important instead of trival minutia. Let's fix the damn economy so we can afford to care for people with special needs.

Did anyone actually watch the exchange in question?

Obama talked about his low bowling scores. Leno mockingly/jokingly said that score was very good.

Obama was responding to the 'everyone is special, we are all precious snowflakes, everyone gets a first prize trophy' thing that they do at Special Olympics and in a lot of other events these days.

It was a stunningly minor thing.

And it's funny to hear insincere Republicans trouncing Obama for it. This, after years of hearing Rush Limbaugh and other Republican figures saying that Dems are enslaved to political correctness.

But Obama tells one non-PC joke and they all come unglued.

So which is it? Are Dems slaves to PC, or is the joke horribly offensive?

You can't have it both ways.

And it's all about context and intent. There's a huge difference about making an off-the-cuff aside like Obama made, and intentionally and hatefully making racist or homophobic comments.

Obama doesn't hate Special Olympics. Many that make racist or anti-gay slurs do hate blacks and gays.

That'd be the difference.

Please, can the sensitivity police call off the search?! If you were offended by the joke, take some prozac and relax. When I heard Obama make the comment on Leno it was a little bit funny, I wasn’t offended, but I thought to myself, “Oh crap, right wingers are going to have their panties in a bunch tomorrow, trying to turn this comment into something bigger.”

You mean Obama is a boob without his teleprompter? Now you tell us.

With all due apologies to the Rabbi, I'm not sure that citing Jackie Mason for his lack of apology is particularly apt. Mason was the comedian on the Ed Sullivan Show about 45 years ago who when signaled that his time was up gave everyone the finger with the now legendary riposte: "A finger to you, a figure to you, and a finger to you, too." Personally I think that was a far more memorable television moment than Obama's. Jackie didn't apologize for that one either. And as a footnote he didn't work for about the next 20 years.

This is swatting at gnats. The President was making a self-deprecating remark. It is a stretch to say he was insulting people with disabilities. He was saying in effect, I am in a different league. And that is what Special Olympics is, is it not? Isn't it? does anyone believe that we place Special Olympics athletes into the Olympics? that is ludicrous. In some sense, the President is honoring the very idea of having a league for those who cannot perform at certain levels. Okay, so there may be someone in Special Olympics who can out-perform the President on the bowling lane. So? This only makes the President's point for crying out loud! People who get this wound up on an issue like this but ignore the larger injustices--say the previous President's and Vice-President's outright lies about invading another country--need to work on perspective. Please.

Rabbi Herzfeld's heartfelt sentiments, on behalf of "outsiders" is the most eloquent meaningful essay I've read in "On Faith". Thanks on behalf of humanity, Rabbi.

That said, I agree our president meant only to mock himself and slipped without malice. Contrast him with the ersatz leader of the unfree GOP, who's made millions by mean mockery of physically disabled people.

I haven't met Rabbi Herzfeld yet, but my wife was interviewed on his radio show recently, and I know the Rabbi has been on Mayor Fenti's case regarding his travels to Qatar. He's a thoughtful, funny, and somewhat argumentative man. I'd love to hear more, but I hope the motivations in his posts are purely moral and not political.

We are all imperfect human beings. It is just as sihnificant to me that President Obama immediately apaologized for this remark as it was that he made it. I hope the the young man who was offended feels better. Perhaps Obama can do more - make a contribution to or maybe even attend the Special Olympics. I am sure, just from reading his books (knowing what his mother was like), hearing from people who know him, that he is a good (though, as he will say, "imperfect") soul.

On Mason: I grew up in a house where "schvartze" was used regularly. I make a strong effort not to use it. But I'm not perfect. The people I hang out with, who don't speak the old dying language of Eastern Europe, now use other terms like the "lower class" - there's some implied opinion of inferiority towards those who do not dress or speak as well as we well-educated American-born folk. How would Maimonides feel anout this? And how about Jesus or Mohammed?

But we have to figure out when jokes are OK and when they are not. In the "schvartze" case, Mel Brooks has a very funny segment in "Blazing Saddles" where "Jewish" Indians ran into African Americans for the first time and instead of attacking them, said "Schvartzers...dey are dahker then vee are.. loz em gein (let them go". I laughed, but would an African American sitting next to me have been offended?

Perhaps the best, most articulate and insightful opinion piece I have ever read. It is good to continue this dialogue, which is the only good thing about the president's remark. On the issue of the president himself, I see no indication that he actually understands fully either the significance or the level of harm caused. So there is a double problem here for us: the issue so eloquently dealt with in this essay, and an important and ongoing limitation of the most powerful man in the world - who, in simple terms, about some crucial issues, sidoes not get it.

Just for the record:

"learning disabled" means that there is a discrepancy between general intellectual ability and performance. This is not the same as developmentally disabled, which means limited intellectual ability.

Oh stop already. The man at least recognized his mistake and the hurt it could cause, apologized for it, and so let's move on. What do you want him to do besides resign or be impeached?

This whole thing is a crock. If someone wants to complain about how Obama and Congress are handling the wars we are in or the economic crisis we are in, or any of a million other issues that are much much more important than a comment that might be interpreted an insensitive by some people, then I think that is newsworthy, but a silly comment about the special Olympics, come on. I don't know if the media does this on purpose to distract us from important issues, or the people working for the media are just silly little people with nothing important to say. Where was the Media during the runup to the Iraq invasion, or while Bush was shreading the bill of rights and the constitution, or when the US was building a national debt that will burden our grandchildren, or when the subprime mortgage backed securities were being sold by the trillions of dollars worth all of the world? Those are some stories that might have been worth a reporter's time and effort.

I think that reporters most like to see their words in print, but they hate the legwork involved in actually researching and investigating, so they write about something that requires no work, just a few minutes at the keyboard.

As a person with a learning disability,I really wasn't offended by the joke, because I was thrilled Jay Leno asked about the underground bowling ally. And I bet, a higher percentage of people didn't even know one existed, than the percentage that were offended. On top of that, I see a double-standard here. On the one hand yes Obama was wrong to make a joke that offended disabled people, on the other hand is this idea that disabled people are so helpless, as people who help them know-and I just got fired from a company that works to employ the disabled-that they need to be informed of every slight. Beethoven was disabled, and yet wrote music, FDR was disabled, yet he was president. Disabled people come in all sizes. Its the same complaint black people have about Democratic politicians reaching out to the black community during elections, on issues black people care about. We are not monolithic here. Obama while president, is also a human being, he's also a president that actively smokes. Smoking is bad for your health.

On top of that. Harry Truman did a lot to advance the cause of equal right for blacks, and yet he felt comfortable around people who use the N-word. Obama has not had a year in office, and he could be the best thing for disabled Americans, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater here?

This bowling comment, plus last summer's
"sweetie" remark to a lady journalist
kind of dovetail in a revealing way. Add
that to his odd laughter on 60 minutes
this weekend. Do his handlers drug him?

"To Inverness1. You choose to be devastated and you make your daughter devastated."

Arancia12: don't be so patronizing. Your ignorance about people with learning disabilities makes me wonder why you bother to post. Your arrogance sounds familiar though, you mimic the President.

As for "mercy" - Obama is the President of the United States. He chose to insult people with learning disabilities and their families (and there are millions of us), chose to apologize only to Timothy Shriver (because he had also insulted the Kennedy family).

I had no mercy for George Bush when he was President. I don't have any for Barack Obama either. Presidents are held to a higher standard and should be. When they are shown to be prejudiced bigots (as Obama has) they should be held accountable for their views.

And he will be, by the families of people with learning disabilities - who vote and who vote in massive numbers.

All these problems start because people identify themselves with a certain group. I'm Jewish, I'm German, I'm African American, etc.....
How many of you picked what race you were before you were born? NONE.
Here is an excerpt of what my conversation with God would be before I was born; "Hey God, I would really like to have blond hair, blue eyes, with a nice tan and body; also I would like to be born to well to do parents so I don't have to work for a living; and a religion that doesn't interfere with my surfing time"
See the silliness when we proclaim our race or station in life.
"Man makes his plans and God laughs"

I believe Obama said what he really meant about people with disabilities. He comes across as extremely arrogant.

Obama is as phony as a $3.00 bill. Anyone who fell for him could be sold non-existant swamp land.

Obama made a thoughtless comment, and I think it was fair enough that it was brought to his attention. It was not mean spirited, but certainly in poor taste. I trust his heart is in the right place and his apology was sincere. I know a lot of developmentally disabled people can see that.

What I find disturbing is the self-righteous way in which people jump on such things to justify their own mean-spirited attitude toward the one committing the error. I didn't vote for Bush, I abhorred his policies, but I viewed some of his faux pas as simply human.

I cut anyone in the public eye some slack; how they choose to make amends is telling. To persist in publicly shaming them is to commit the same sin, plus that of hypocrisy.

It was a disappointingly stupid comment, and I do mean stupid, for the President to have made. You have to realize you are the President, it's President of all the people. When you're speaking, everyone is present, including Special Olympians and their families.

I think this column does a good job of pointing out what's wrong with that comment.

Based on your logic, every Jewish comedian is going to hell.

C'mon grow up. And then just shut up. Unless, of course, you are perfect.

.

So, Had President Obama used kindergarten instead of Special Olympics, would any kindergarten parents and kids be devasted?

I'm a German and therefore not very familiar with the connotation of "schvartze" in the US (if the region can be so generalized). But in contemporary German, "Schwarzer" (male) and "Schwarze" (female) is not negative, certainly not a slur.

The only way in which it is non-PC is that subtle distinction between describing somebody as a member of a group (noun) or has having the attribute of belonging to that group (adjective).

Kind of like the difference between saying "That's Peter, he's a German" or "That's Peter, he's German".

It's ubiquitous to talk of Obama as the first "schwarze Praesident" in a very positive way (here 'schwarze' being adjective).

So, I realize ze Germanz are the last to have any right to lament about the Yiddish language, or Yiddish words in English, but it's a bit sad that the neutral German "black" became a slur over here.

(Curiously, I heard a 90-year old German complain recently how "demeaning" TV reporters are when they describe "poor President Obama" as "der erste schwarze Praesident der USA"... it's a generation gap.)

I am simply appalled at a great many of the remarks insisting that the rabbi need somehow take responsibility for Israel's actions in Gaza. The rabbi didn't mention Israel, nor do we have any idea his position on Israeli actions.

A common argument among Israel's defenders is that Israel is unfairly singled out among the nations due to anti-Semitism. The counter argument goes that the world has nothing against Jews, and that anti-Zionist policies or even anti-Zionism should not be confused with anti-Semitism.

By taking the rabbi to task for Israel's actions, when he had nothing to say about Israel at all, belies that argument.

I will say it more clearly. Those of you who have blamed linked the rabbi with Israel's policies in Gaza are anti-Semites, pure and simple. Take a long, hard, look at yourselves.

Anti-Semites. You should truly be ashamed. And the Washington Post should be ashamed for continuing to provide such people with a forum.

One more entry for "Grow up"and stop making a living by "picking nits"!

It would have had the same reaction had Bush made the joke, no doubt. People r overly sensitive and whinge about this crap regardless of if it was Obama or Bush.

The only point those who say people r apologists for Obama r trying to make is that liberals are hypocrites.

Patently obvious.

I was profoundly moved by Rabbi Herzfeld's words. They were beautiful and truly touched my soul. We are all lonely in this sad world and we need to respect and love the dignity of each individual. Perhaps that will make this world a little better. I commend Rabbi Herzfeld for his profoundly moving thoughts.
Carlos de la Cova

Obama made a bad joke and as much as i consider him to be a bad joke on the country, I don't think it is worthy of much comment. He called and apologized before the show aired so enough already.

As for Jackie Mason, the real target of this piece anyone who has seen his act knows that he rags on people and uses yiddish (from the German language) expressions all the way through it. Don Rickles does the same. I remember when Dean Martin picked up Sammy Davis Jr. in his arms and said " I want to thank the NAACP for this lovely trophy."
There is no fault and Jackie is right to tell them to shove it and not apologize. " In German der schwarze Koffer means the black suitcase" The older Jews of Jackie's day used this term without any slur intended. In those days Most Blacks and Whites got along in the North.
Don't be a bunch of hypocrites and schmucks...opps.

I agree with the last comment. We are so busy reading and writing articles about some petty cheap shot comment that we forget that people are being murdered around the world. We're such a hyper sensitive country that we get distracted from situations that really need our attention in the world And yes, one of the largest human rights abuses is going on in Palestine by the Isralis, and let's not forget that this article was written by a rabbi. We should ask ourselves, are stories like this making headlines in order to divert our attention from what's really important in the world right now?

"I wonder if those apologizing for Obama would be equally kind if George W Bush had made the comment.
I guess Obama needs to bring his teleprompter to the Leno show next time."
Posted by: GabrielRockman | March 23, 2009 2:06 PM

Seriously, of course they wouldn't be equally kind if it had been George Bush who said it. Likewise, you would not be equally critical. Thats like whining about a fan of the Dallas Cowboys for not cheering when the Chicago Bears win the superbowl. I'm sure you don't need to try too hard to find something substantive to disagree with. So why be so petty?

FAR more outrage is needed over the ongoing genocide of the Palestinians by Israel.

Big deal. He said something that offended a group. I doubt the 'tards even noticed it. It's all the right wing haters that are up in arms over it. Untwist your panties, you bunch of Republitards!

What kind of monster mocks the disabled on network television?
-
I guess we shouldn't be too surprised by this gauche and downright cruel comment re. the Special Olympics- no different than the classless cheap-shot on 90-yr-old Nancy Reagan in Obama's first presser- apparently his preferred targets are old ladies and the handicapped.
-
Narcissists like Obama are often callous- and even ruthless. They tend to lack empathy and/or a conscience. This is evident in his lack of interest in his own half-brother who lives in poverty in Kenya, or his aunt found living in public housing in Boston.
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http://reaganiterepublicanresistance.blogspot.com/

"Our daughter was devastated that Obama thinks Special Olympians are a joke. So was I - so, too, are many parents who voted for him and who are currently posting their anger on disability websites."

Oh, for Pete's sake. He wasn't putting down Special Olympians, he was putting down himself.

Are we going to pretend that Special Olympians are just as able at sports as people who are not disabled??? If this is the case, why are they not competing in the regular Olympics?

The president was saying that he is disabled when it comes to bowling. What's wrong with that?

This hypersensitivity is getting completely out of hand. At some point, one has to deal with reality.

He apologized. Get over it.

The Special Olympics are "special" because the competitors don't have all of the faculties to compete in the Unspecial Olympics. Are we to pretend that is not true? Come on America. Read Romans 13 and stop bashing the leader that God appointed for you.

Obama is offensive.

Society operates on a precipice, upon which one is always on the verge of offending someone. While it is useful to discuss the issue when it arises, as it did last week, it can also be unproductive to belabor the point. The more this gets play in the media, the more those it offends are likely to feel slighted, and the deeper their pain and 'loneliness' becomes. At some point, continuing to poke one's finger into the same wound only delays efforts to heal it. Obama reacted as responsibly as anyone could: he admitted he was wrong and addressed those he offended, right away. He has learned his lesson, let's move on and stop rubbing salt into the wound.

This is not a comment to the article writer, but more or less to the commenters. Though I don't consider it entirely my place to say it, you all should be ashamed of yourselves.

Politics and international conflicts aside, with so much hate in this world it is not surprising to me that when someone sticks up for someone who is different than they are-- when someone shows a little bit of love for their fellow man-- that it is automatically deemed a bad thing.

It is this mentality and the mentality of greed that is at the root of all present conflicts in the world, not the mentality of love and acceptance that is so openly expressed in this article.

Reading Rabbi Herzfeld's article was a breath of fresh air. As someone whose life resonates strongly with the "slowed processing speed" he speaks of and also as someone whose love is denied recognition on a daily basis because of the overwhelming hate that has consumed many of the people of our planet, it feels kinda good to read about love every now and then.

Yes, do lecture us about, Rabbi, as Gerson lectures us about hypocrisy. Tell us there is no shame in Israel's treatment of Palestinians.

The man made a mistake and apologized for it. We don't need Rabbi's jumping on Limbaugh's traitorous bandwagon of cynicism and looking for any and all excuses to attack Obama in hope he and America will fail.

Jews have been pretty cool with their discretion but now it seems they, too, have been listening and learning from Rush and Dobson on hate radio.

Get a life Rabbi Herzfeld. Your ministry can be best served by telling Israel to stop killing palestinian women and children. If you think President Obama was making fund of the physically challenged people and not himself, then your hate for the man has finally shown through the deceitful approach of your piece. Get a life

you people should all get over it. obama made a slip for which he apologized. enough said.

I'm going to be honest Shmuel, after reading this article I definitely thought you were a tard.

RE: "HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. The comment that he made is completely unacceptable. This would be on the front page of every newspaper in America if this were any other president."
==============================
I don't know about every newspaper, but it was on the front page of the Washington Post the day after the taping.

To Inverness1. You choose to be devastated and you make your daughter devastated.

Perhaps you should be outraged that Kennedy delivered a sermon in synagog, after all, he is Christian and not Jewish. Perhaps Jews should be outraged that a Gentile delivered a sermon in their synagog.

We should all be outraged all the time over everything just to be on the safe side.

I think this quote from Shakespeare is apt:

"The quality is mercy is not strained...It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. Tis mighty in its mightiest."

Try a little more mercy and a little less outrage.

"anyone who shames his fellow man in public is considered to have spilled blood"

Correct me if I am wrong but Maimonides and indeed the Talmud did not consider non-Jews as "fellow man" at all. Goyim were "nations"--not on a par with Jews and in fact closer to animals. So Talmudic prescriptions on how to behave to a "fellow man" are tribal prescriptions only.

I too am sick and tired of the outrage. Every person I know, even those who volunteer for Special Olympics makes this same joke.

President Obama is making the attempt to speak to the American public. One is bound to say something that offends someone when you speak as often as he does. Of course, he could sequester himself on vacation at his ranch and hack brush instead.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

Oh give it a break!
Rabbis are gettin' as bad as priests or pastors...

I am so weary of all the outrage. It seems we have become a society hungry for the shallow entertainment of it---and the press is complicit in that it looks for any gaffe and hypes it in the cable news echo chamber.

Who of us has never made an insensitive comment? Don't throw stones. President Obama has demonstrated his loving and sensitive nature by the emphasis he places on being a good father and husband.

The President has apologized. Let it go---we have lots of work to do to make things better in our country for all of us. To keep rehashing this distracts us from that work.

Thank you Rabbi for your comments.

I voted for Obama as did our daughter who has Down Syndrome. He is her idol (a bit like some of the posters on here who attribute every quality known to man to the President who is, after all, merely a politician and an inexperienced - and seemingly immature - one at that).

Our daughter was devastated that Obama thinks Special Olympians are a joke. So was I - so, too, are many parents who voted for him and who are currently posting their anger on disability websites.

I know many parents are angry with Timothy Shriver and found his reaction to Obama's joke and apology (made to Shriver, not to all the citizens he insulted) insufficient. So I was pleased to read Shriver's comments.

Rabbi Herzfeld is right about Maimonides. He was a medieval physician, legal scholar and a philosopher. He was heavily influenced by Islamic scholars of that period. Here is what Stanford Encyclopedia of Religion states:

"This essay sets out to understand Maimonides in the context of his Islamic philosophical milieu, and in particular, in the context of the works of three of the most well-known Islamic thinkers, al-Farabi (ca. 870-950), Avicenna (Ibn Sina) (980-1037) and Averroes (Ibn Rushd) (1126-1198). A few points about this selection. We will here focus on al-Farabi, Avicenna and Averroes since their works are arguably best known among general readers, and are, as such, the best context in which to put Maimonides into dialogue with a number of well-known Islamic philosophical ideas. This said, it should be noted that (a) while we know that Maimonides held a great respect for the writings of Averroes,[1] these works were most likely unknown to Maimonides until after the completion of his Guide,[2] and so cannot be thought of as having exerted influence on that work, (b) while Avicennian notions can certainly be found in Maimonides, we know too (from a letter to Ibn Tibbon) that Maimonides views Avicenna's philosophy as of lesser value than al-Farabi's,[3] and (c) there are, of course, other Islamic writers whose works are known to have influenced Maimonides (notably al-Ghazali (d. 1111)[4] and Ibn Bajja (d. 1138)[5]). Given Maimonides' own self-avowed interest in al-Farabi and the influence of the latter on his thought, we will focus more on al-Farabi than on Avicenna and Averroes (keeping in mind too, of course, that al-Farabi, as the earliest of these thinkers, exerted influence on many of the ideas in Avicenna, Averroes, and other Islamic philosophers as well)."

President Obama is a man of compassion and is rational. He is down to earth and cares deeply for the underprivileged. His interviews reflect all that.

Thoughtful, compassionate people are HUMAN too and can make mistakes. The GREATNESS of a person is always reflected when he/she apologizes for his/her mistake.

Rabbi, you are a man of God. Do not vilify our President.

Leave it to the Washington Post to write an article minimizing Obama's comments and try to tie his comments to comments made by a lesser figure. HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. The comment that he made is completely unacceptable. This would be on the front page of every newspaper in America if this were any other president.

Why doesn't the media hold him accountable? He surely can't blame these comments on "the previous administration" can he?

I wonder if those apologizing for Obama would be equally kind if George W Bush had made the comment.

I guess Obama needs to bring his teleprompter to the Leno show next time.

I wonder if you took a poll of Special Olympics participants how many of them would feel shamed or insulted by Obama's careless remark (which was a clumsy attempt to make fun of his own ineptness). My intuitive guess (not backed by any real evidence, but see more on that below) is not as many as a number of people who are quick to hop on the outrage bandwagon (a very popular place these days). It may make them feel good either because they enjoy being outraged on behalf of someone who is "challenged" (thereby feeling morally superior to the oaf who made the remark, and condescending to the victim) or they are desperate to vilify a President whom they are bound-and-determined to hate for SOMETHING (cf. "He's trying too much" or "he's dong too little" or "he can't speak without stopping to think" or "who does he think he is buying a big swing set?" or "where's the puppy?" or "Michelle has strong arms" and so on and on and on).

My basis for this feeling is not a survey but my own experience. I've spent my whole life being, well, short --- Mugsy Bogues short --- although taller than Robert Reich. ("Vertically challenged"?) It hasn't prevented me from having a decent career in a tough profession but I can't help noticing that while jokes about black, fat, Jewish (I'm that too) etc. are out, short jokes are still pretty much OK. (An entire movie's (Shrek) yuks were mainly based on the shortness of the bad guy.) So I can choose to get upset, or not. I choose not.

At age age 69 I don't know how much or little time I have but I don't want to waste any of it being angry at people who either don't care or should know better but don't -- - and I don't need any concern trolls rushing to my defense; I can handle it myself thank you --- and I imagine many a handicapped person can do the same. After all, we have had a lot of chances to practice. My best response to direct ridicule on account of my (lack of) height is in effect "It's so easy to be taller than me that I don't see why you should be so proud of it".

All that said, what does it say about OHB that before the show even aired he was on the phone making good his error? I will probably die before GWB or Dr. Evil (Cheney) ever admit an error, let alone apologize.

And I really don't see why a sanctimonious Rabbi needs to cite the Talmud, except to display his knowledge of it.

I have an older brother who was born with cerebral palsy and infantile paralysis. I doubt that he is offended by or even care about Obama’s remarks. I do not know what is in my brother’s mind. I do know that he is comfortable with himself.

I wonder if someone who purposely uses the Obama remark and his friendship with a person with what we consider an affliction to his (her) advantage falls into one of those 24 categories.

My brother seems to be happiest when he is treated the same as others and that includes the distasteful actions of others.

There are so many ways to practice a dislike for Obama including subterfuge. I am sure that Shmuel Hertzfeld knows what I am talking about. Mr. Hertzfeld this is a new age an age where people are reaching out to each other in brotherhood not hate. We are reaching out to Jews in friendship. You are not helping the cause.

Jackie Mason is a comedian. To take anything he says seriously would truly be comedic.

Yonkers, New York
23 March 2009

These are indeed trying times for millions of Americans all over. Millions have lost their jobs; millions more have lost their homes; millions more have lost their pensions and their savings. And, as Yogi Berra put it so elegantly, "It's not over till it's over!"

While it is true that America is going through what Arnold Toynbee called "a time of troubles," the nation is far from having come closer to an economic Armageddon.

I am sure that when President Barack Obama uttered that remark about the Special Olymics, his inttention was far from wanting to hurt the people involved; probbly he thought that America could use a little humor or a joke to distract their attention away from the misery and the agony which they are now experiencing.

At any rate, when he thought that this was not the outcome he probably had hoped for, he was gracious enough to apologize quickly.

That is an apology which deserves to be accepted quickly likewise.

Mariano Patalinjug
MarPatalinjug@aol.com

Thank you, Rabbi, for bringing up this disgraceful episode by our president.

There are many others who feel as you do, including myself and the President/CEO of the Massachusetts Special Olympics. He said that Obama's comments have set back the disabled by 'decades.' See his (Bob Johnson) remarks here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs3aRxTTgaI

I found this video on YouTube and I am grateful for people in positions of authority speaking out against this outrageous slander against the disabled.

I am a registered Democrat who voted for Obama, but I and many of the 30 million disabled Americans in this country feel as though we have been abandoned by Obama with this remark and his joking about the economy on 60 Minutes. As someone both who has disabled relatives and who is suffering from the present economic crisis, Obama's $500,000 book deal completed just 4 days before he took office, along with his callous remark about the Special Olympics has turned me off towards him and have me regretting my vote.

This is not hope and change. It's not even true, either. The average Special Olympian competitor in bowling would humiliate Obama worse than he did himself on The Tonight Show.

PC BE DAMNED!! I will not allow the retards to take away the word retard! This is where I make my stand!

Although I do think as Americans we are too sensitve, I don't agree with what the president said. It would be in the same line as saying "Someone like him always eats fried chicken and watermelon" which is not appropriate or professional for his position. Although we can be too sensitive as Americans, I don't feel it is too much to have the President to respect all people.

"joking" or "making fun" of a group or religion has become a toxic act in our society. So consumed we are with not offending anyone.

Living in a society without pain, mockery, cruelty and ism's is not to live at all. Government (and many leaders) want to eliminate financial "risk" and abolish consequences for behaviour. Thankfully they cannot succeed.

Let the Washington Post call for a moratorium on after the fact "apologies" and "contrition". Let people be who they are! And may the "offended" learn to deal with it.

His comment was not maliciously intended, simply thoughtless. This is a very inexperienced man who wants to be "one of the guys" sometimes and be presidential other times. He doesn't yet understand that being President, being Commander in Chief, is a full-time job and not a popularity contest.

He loves to be on stage, but we must never forget that the guy on stage is also the one with his finger near the "red button". It's difficult to take him seriously or to continue believing the non-stop rhetoric.

Has it occurred to anybody out there that Obama in his short tenure has already done more for physically or mentally disabled persons than any other President?

It's called STEM CELL RESEARCH FUNDING.

He realized his mistake and apologized for it.

Did it bother you when our previous President was pretending to be looking for WMDs behind his desk while our children were dying and having their limbs blown-off in Iraq?
or
when he went to Walter Reid and joked about needing a band-aid for a brush-cutting accident in front of wounded soldiers who had suffered brain damage?

What Obama did was insensitive, shameful, no, see the latter.

Geeze, Rabbi, is this horse dead already or what?

How about a new opinion on something of consequence - like Israeli troops reportedly using an 11 yo Gaza Palestinian boy as a human shield or something.

Thank you for trying to defend those of us with disabilities. However, altho' I have a disability that impairs both my cognitive and physical abilities, I thought President Obama's remark was very funny. Taking ourselves so seriously that we can't laugh at ourselves is perhaps the greater disability. I'm glad Mr. Obama could laugh at himself, and I do not feel demeaned in any way by his laughter. His sense of humor is never cruel - it's just FUNNY.

And you folks thought that Obama's "race" speech last year (gave Chris Matthews shivers) was sincere - wrong!

TMZ - hounding people for its entertainment value. What's that say about the audience - sleeze.

Grow up! What a load of nonsense.