Breaking: President Bush Apologizes to Peter Wallsten
Ah, the power of the blogosphere. We were the first to report on President Bush teasing reporter Peter Wallsten for wearing “shades” at a Rose Garden press conference — sunglasses that Wallsten wears because he’s legally blind. Wallsten suffers from Stargardt’s disease, which causes vision loss.
And now, news of a presidential apology:
Wallsten said Bush called his cell phone later in the day to apologize and tell him that he didn’t know he had [Stargardt’s] disease. Wallsten said he interrupted and told the president that no apology was necessary and that he didn’t feel offended since he hadn’t told anyone at the White House about his condition.
More details, after the jump.
Additional info from the AP story:
“[Bush] said, `I needle you guys out of affection,’” Wallsten said. “I said, ‘I understand that, but I don’t want you to treat me any differently because of this.’”Wallsten said the president said he would not treat him differently, so Wallsten encouraged him to “needle away.”
“He said, `I will. Next time I’ll just use a different needle,’” Wallsten said.
Wallsten said he thought that was a pretty good line. And his only complaint is that the president didn’t answer his question at the news conference.
Both President Bush and Peter Wallsten are to be commended for their graciousness. And if the president cuts back on his “clowning with the press” as a result of this incident, then some good has come of it.
Bush Apologizes to L.A. Times Reporter [AP]
Bush’s Banter Goes Too Far: Taunting a Blind Man [HuffPo]
Earlier: Presidents Get Jet Lag Too
President Bush’s “Oh, Shit” Moment of the Day
An Update on President Bush’s Screw-Up
The Rose Garden Press Conference Video
READ MORE: Media, White House, breaking, george w. bush, oh fuck, peter wallsten, presidential press conference, press conferences, screw-ups, top
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So, what are the odds that the Idiot-in-chief starts calling him "Blind Lemon Wallsten"?
by StreetLegal on 06/14/06 09:51 PM
...so he HAS made a mistake, after all! David Gregory should be pleased.
by Boomdog on 06/14/06 10:29 PM
Wow. There's a first for everything. If Bush can admit to making a mistake here, maybe he can apologize to the American public for Iraq, not caring about black people, raising interest rates for the college student loan programs, stealing an election, being an ass.... and on and on and on.
Oh, wait, this isn't a fairy tale.
by RyanAdams on 06/14/06 11:30 PM
He also mocked a guy in a wheelchair once. If he didn't learn anything then....
Once an a-hole, always an a-hole. Stay the course.
by J. on 06/15/06 09:52 AM
I'm going to take a very unpopular position here, and say that I think most presidents would have done what Bush did. Anyone who ascends to power as a head-of-state is going to seek the rigidly formal demonstrations of respect, i.e. not talking to the president with sunglasses on. The difference between Bush and other presidents is that, one likes to assume, the other presidents would be informed enough not to make those kinds of statements. But seriously, as much as I dislike Bush, and I think this is a funny instance of him putting his cowboy-booted foot in his mouth, I don't think it's particularly demonstrative of any inherent maliciousness or even stupidity on his part. It's just the outcome of an insecure man in over his head who feels, correctly, that the majority of the world doesn't take him seriously enough.
Don't forget that he cracked a joke about the execution of a metally retarded guy in Texas. That's relevant to this discussion, no?
George W Bush doesn't care about handicapped people.
by RSquared on 06/15/06 02:39 PM
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