A REFLECTION ON PRESIDENTS AND COMEDIANS

A few weeks ago Anita and I accepted the dinner invitation of a couple with whom we have been friends for many years. Although both are excellent cooks, he takes the prize for best crab cakes. We have never found a restaurant that makes better crab cakes than his.

We are all Democrats and are delighted that Barack Obama is our president. We all agreed that he has a great temperament and is a superb orator, but we did not give him a free pass. We agreed that as president he should not have appeared on comedian Jay Leno’s television show. Such an appearance might have been acceptable when he was in a tough primary fight with Hillary Clinton and the public did not really know who he was.

But now they do know. He is the President of the United States and not a foil for a late night comedian. In such a setting the chances for a gaffe are great, and sure enough Obama made one. He compared his bowling score of 129 to the Special Olympics. The next day he apologized to the head of the Special Olympics and said he meant no respect to bowlers who are disabled.

We all hope that he has learned that late night comedians need him but he does not need them.

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