Obamateurism of the Day
posted at 8:05 am on April 1, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
I didn’t get started with the OotD feature until a little over a week ago, but had I been thinking about it from the beginning of the Barack Obama presidency, this would have started us off. It comes literally from Obama’s first moments in office, when he displayed a lack of historical knowledge about the office he now holds:
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.
The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
Well, Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States, but only 42 Presidents preceded him. Grover Cleveland is both the 22nd and the 24th President, the only man to serve two non-concurrent terms in the White House. In fact, he only lost the intervening election through voter fraud. Like Al Gore 108 years later, won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College.
But Cleveland, while counting as two presidencies, only counts as one person. Only 43 people have taken the Oath of Office, but Obama may have made up for it by taking it twice. (hat tip: HA reader Mark)
Got an Obamateurism of the Day? If you see a foul-up by Barack Obama, e-mail it to me at obamaisms@edmorrissey.com with the quote and the link to the Obamateurism. I’ll post the best Obamateurisms on a daily basis, depending on how many I receive. Include a link to your blog, and I’ll give some link love as well. And unlike Slate, I promise to end the feature when Barack Obama leaves office.
Illustrations by Chris Muir of Day by Day. Be sure to read the adventures of Sam, Zed, Damon, and Jan every day!
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I don’t get how the GOP lost NY-20. Aren’t people reading Ed’s petty, insignificant Obama cracks in this daily HotAir feature? Surely they should turn the tide in this country?!
e-pirate on April 1, 2009 at 8:08 AM
Heh poor Ogabe….
On the one hand he tries really hard, on the other he is often merely the worse for trying….
“change”
sven10077 on April 1, 2009 at 8:09 AM
words… just words from the teleprompter that our Puppet of the United States dutifully reads – with great energy and pizazz I might add
gatorboy on April 1, 2009 at 8:09 AM
You’ll have to run the math of how the donks holding onto a seat by literally the skin of their teeth in New England is something to crow about….
sven10077 on April 1, 2009 at 8:10 AM
While I enjoy this new HotAir feature, I believe it needs to be up-to-date, if not up-to-the-minute.
Obama’s inaugural fumble was back in January and thus this entry is basically two months late, making it look like you’re reaching, Ed.
misslizzi on April 1, 2009 at 8:12 AM
While some people might not blame Obama for forgetting about Grover Cleveland, where’s that crack staff of brainiacs he’s supposed to pal around with?
rhombus on April 1, 2009 at 8:12 AM
the problem with blogs is that there’s no editor who would say, “you know, ed, this thing is over two months old, and if nobody picked it up then, maybe it’s a stretch.” obama is in london right know meeting a bunch of dignitaries and probably fumbling all kinds of protocols. if he’s so amateurish, i’m sure you could find plenty more fresh outrages.
sesquipedalian on April 1, 2009 at 8:14 AM
I bet Ed could retroactively create one for every day Obama has been in office and still have a bunch of gaffes from which to choose.
Disturb the Universe on April 1, 2009 at 8:16 AM
Ed,
You should have gone to The Precedent’s latest press conference in London. There were more than a few screw-ups, and that just happened about an hour ago.
I would also loved to have seen a sped-up version of his GM/Chrysler speech, with his head moving from side to side throughout the speech. That was really an amateur performance, and all while he was addressing nothing more than the US government taking control of the means of production …
progressoverpeace on April 1, 2009 at 8:17 AM
They have their heads firmly planted between their legs and are busy sniffing their own farts.
doriangrey on April 1, 2009 at 8:19 AM
it is not so much the gaffes bambi makes while speaking off the cuff (and there are many); it is the ones that TOTUS & the protocol office make. i agree that bambi’s staff needs to be overhauled because it is those people who contributed to the gordon Brown DVD gaffe, the Chirac gaffe, misspelling of someone else’s name gaffe, etc.
Hillary has the same problem with her staff. see our Lady of Guadalupe.
kelley in virginia on April 1, 2009 at 8:19 AM
I tell you there is something odd about his speechwriter. The cloud of plagiarism hangs over this guy. Sloppy writing indicates a sloppy mind. And sloppiness is the pen pal of plagiarism. Just you wait.
EMD on April 1, 2009 at 8:20 AM
Oh, I have absolutely NO DOUBT about that!
misslizzi on April 1, 2009 at 8:21 AM
Heres the highlights,
44 Americans
Presidential Oath
words have been spoken
riseing tide of prosperity
and still waters of Peace
yet every so often
gathering clouds
and rageing storms
skill vision
of high office
because We the people
have remained faithful to the ideals of our ForeBearer’s
canopfor on April 1, 2009 at 8:24 AM
Hillary Clinton’s top adviser says there’s not enough room on mother earth, so move on into the shower stall of no return.
I can appreciate preventing pregnancy via humane birth control, so keep open the reliable American plant producing safe condoms.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Obama chose to lose American jobs in order to promote the Chinese condoms that will eventually prove toxic to the users while also promoting “unintended” (their word) pregnancies–it’s all sick, leading to augment the abortion industry that the pharmaceuticals leach for experimentation.
Heinous.
maverick muse on April 1, 2009 at 8:24 AM
OT: Obama’s justice dept dropped the case against Ted Stevens
gatorboy on April 1, 2009 at 8:26 AM
So what happened to that idea?
pappy on April 1, 2009 at 8:26 AM
I wonder if Barry has a hand held teleprompter to assist him with his meetings this week. Maybe that’s why he wouldn’t give up his blackberry!
loudmouth883 on April 1, 2009 at 8:27 AM
Shouldn’t you go back to your battle re-enactments?
blatantblue on April 1, 2009 at 8:29 AM
Na, he keeps his Blackbarry so his whitebarry dont go getting all upity.
doriangrey on April 1, 2009 at 8:30 AM
It could be me,but at the .39 second in the video,
Obama looks like he blew a fuse for a split second!
Like deer in the headlights!
canopfor on April 1, 2009 at 8:30 AM
He repeated something just like that at his press conference, today. I’m sorry that no one asked him how that conformed with his idea that we need to “break free of the constraints placed in our COnsitution by the Founders” [paraphrased]. He also said that the US owes Britain a lot. What the heck was that all about? Strange and amateur. He’s trying to hard to look like he’s a real American. His emphasis on the need for growth, as he puts into place the most anti-growth policies ever, was another piece. Pathetic. And he couldn’t take his eyes off the paper he was reading his initial speech from. Amateur. He was only lucky that he had a slug like Brown next to him – as being graded on a curve full of morons is the only way that The Precedent can pass anything.
progressoverpeace on April 1, 2009 at 8:31 AM
This is pretty obscure, people. I’m a historian and I missed that one. Granted, I’m not a presidential historian.
fleiter on April 1, 2009 at 8:31 AM
The irony is if Bush had made this statement, Olbermann and Matthews would still be repeating it today along with the liberal cheerleaders in the MSM.
Speaking of the tingleKing, Matthews just said this of his messiah:
“He’s so careful about how he deals with human beings….he’s got a touch”
How can the right demand fiscal responsibility of a “man with a touch”????
Rovin on April 1, 2009 at 8:31 AM
snicker
Disturb the Universe on April 1, 2009 at 8:32 AM
Yea, I know… Off to the William Ayer’s Memorial Community Re-education Facility with me….
doriangrey on April 1, 2009 at 8:34 AM
Duh-uno undoubtedly has caught on to Ed’s daily insult-fest, and has vowed from this day forward, NEVER to give Ed any more ammunition.
Shut it down, Ed. It’s over.
April Fools!!!!
Sweet_Thang on April 1, 2009 at 8:39 AM
Not really that obscure. I am not a historian but I can name all the presidents the US has had. They actually publish all the names in books.
Maybe not the books in Indonesia though.
DeweyWins on April 1, 2009 at 8:40 AM
From headlines (see Dude):
I thought he was at the G20 conference.
Disturb the Universe on April 1, 2009 at 8:43 AM
Ya know,so far,Team Hopey has already surpassed President
Bush in screw-ups,
and,I bet Obama has hit a new Historical Presidential
Screw-up record,
and at the rate Team Hopey is racking up the neverend
ing gaffes,it’ll be an all time record,
a Historical Royal Gaffe Record at that!!(Snark)
canopfor on April 1, 2009 at 8:43 AM
I blame TOTUS for that one. It was clear from day one that that teleprompter had a sick sense of humor.
jimmy the notable on April 1, 2009 at 8:47 AM
I have tomorrow’s amatuerism of the day; dropping Ted Steven’s conviction. Only a neophyte would cave to political pressure.
RWLA on April 1, 2009 at 8:48 AM
Crap,I just realized,So far Obama holds the record,however,
it wouldn’t be Bush,
no,in screw-up,that would be Jimmy Carter,my mistake!!ahem.
canopfor on April 1, 2009 at 8:49 AM
EMD+1
Scratch deeper. Obama plagiarizes already, failing to acknowledge Socialism as the source and foundation for his programs. And along with Obama’s socialist “models,” their contextual settings establish proof of failure whenever and where ever implemented.
Socialism CONSISTENTLY eliminates every guy with guts and intellect who doesn’t play by Obama’s malleable quicksand rules which repudiate rule of law.
The little guy takes the hit first while all the brouhaha is distracting public outcry at fat cat glamour. Obama is hitting Americans from every angle at once to overwhelm our ability to regain security. With Obama, security is not an option.
IMPEACH OBAMA SOONER THAN LATER
Pelosi’s California is no longer a desirable place; dump her. Reid’s Nevada, even the Mafia can do better for America that forcing Reid on us. Certainly the good citizens of Nevada can rally against Reid’s re-election!
maverick muse on April 1, 2009 at 8:49 AM
CONSISTENTLY
maverick muse on April 1,2009 at 8:49AM.
maverick muse: Preach it brother:)Thats the main theme of
Obama,he’s very consistent in his SNAFU’s,
and he’s consistently on Socialist message!:)
canopfor on April 1, 2009 at 8:57 AM
Blame it on the teleprompter. It told him to misquote, get the facts wrong, and lie…. I can hear BO now, “Ok, back the bus over hear its time we runover Mr Prompter”.
jbh45 on April 1, 2009 at 9:02 AM
I guess that’s what happens when you get most of your historical information from Wikipedia.
Wait, they would have at least gotten that right.
DrAllecon on April 1, 2009 at 9:20 AM
He has issues with numbers. Sort of like asking an aide for guidance on whether he’s been to 57 states or all 58. The aide off camera confirmed he’d visited 57 states and had one to go.
av8tr on April 1, 2009 at 9:29 AM
Try this:
jgapinoy on April 1, 2009 at 9:34 AM
I don’t get how the GOP lost NY-20. Aren’t people reading Ed’s petty, insignificant Obama cracks in this daily HotAir feature? Surely they should turn the tide in this country?!
e-pirate on April 1, 2009 at 8:08 AM
Michael Steele needs to resign effective immediately. Bottom line.
And Ed: Really. The “Obamateurism of the day” is lame. The “Bushism of the day” was lame, too. Please stop.
Outlander on April 1, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Democrats don’t need to bother with little things like “fact checks” and “history”. They’re far too busy telling everyone how they should live their lives, run their businesses, who to hate……
Rogue Traveler on April 1, 2009 at 9:50 AM
Most of America missed it, too, at first.
When I heard about this gaffe, I wondered if Obama really thought he was the 44th person to take the oath of office, or if he was just dumbing it down for the unwashed, uneducated masses. If he had correctly stated that he was the 43rd person to take the oath (while being the 44th prez), it would have confused the hell out of them.
We may never know.
But then, one could ask this question of the majority of what comes out of his mouth. He either has the facts wrong, or he thinks we’re too stupid or apathetic to know or care what the truth is.
UltimateBob on April 1, 2009 at 9:55 AM
We could give Barry O a pass for forgetting about Grover Cleveland’s election loss between two wins (that was before his time), but we’re still looking for the 51st through 57th States.
Knowing Obama, he’ll find them:
District of Columbia (more Dem votes in Congress)
Mexico (see above, no border problems, easier to get a fix)
Cuba (so Gitmo detainees can be tried in the US)
Kenya (so Barry O was born in the US)
Indonesia (so Barry O doesn’t need a passport to go there)
Pocky-ston (moderate Taliban need to vote)
Iran (so ImaNutJob doesn’t bomb his own country)
Steve Z on April 1, 2009 at 10:11 AM
So that’s why he wrote a letter planning to work with Jacques Chirac over the next four years, instead of to the current French President Nicolas Sarkozy? I wonder when Sarkozy will write to George W. Bush looking forward to working with him?
Steve Z on April 1, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Yes, we forget that President Obama was supposed to be the product of a higher degree of education. That explains why he believes there are 57 states, that the Taliban deserve to vote (in our elections after being released in the U.S. and becoming rich from our welfare handouts.
Also, President Obama cares sooo much that he does not acknowledge the conditions of his relatives (a real family man uh?).
MSGTAS on April 1, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Please do not refer to New York as part of New England.
Amazed on April 1, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Aren’t people reading Ed’s petty, insignificant Obama cracks in this daily HotAir feature?
Bob's Kid on April 1, 2009 at 10:34 AM
I haven’t read all comments, but here is my take, yeah its a few months old, but isn’t the purpose here to just show how easy it was for the lefties to be able to pick through everything Bush said and always have at least one instance per day (whether it happened that day or not) of verbal fumbling on his part? I take this as just showing the left the silliness of it all, and that if you make it your mission, its easy enough to point out mistakes of a single person day in and day out
seaniep on April 1, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Obama is above mere facts.
He is speaking oracularly, not literally.
As everyone in all 57 states knows by now.
profitsbeard on April 1, 2009 at 11:09 AM
So what if it’s “old?” We’re still hearing about #43 and what an ID10T he is/was from the party in power, and he’s back in Texas, having himself a good laugh at the cluster**** that is the Zer0 presidency.
Keep it going, Ed, I like it!
TeeDee on April 1, 2009 at 11:15 AM
What this post really needs is a picture of Sarah Palin.
zmdavid on April 1, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Great comment because the gaffes are too numerous and significant. It’s as if they could care less about fact-checking.
INC on April 1, 2009 at 11:30 AM
At which point during this guy’s schooling do you think he would have learned basic American history?
And it’s not like his love of country is so overwhelming that his is cuddling up with books about American history as an adult.
myrenovations on April 1, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Ask, and you shall receive.
Loxodonta on April 1, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Yes, Obama makes mistakes. Yes, he’s a real gaffemaster. But for the love, Here’s an out and out lie two lines after the non-important “gaffe” and yet the gaffe is what we’re talking about.
Obama’s policies are so far from the ideals of our forbears and untrue to our founding documents that, well, they couldn’t be any farther from them.
Instead, there should be a “can he back up that statement” or “where’s the proof” segment instead of an “obamateurism” segment. This is petty. And the same reason it was silly (and wrong) for the dems to be doing this to Bush is the same reason we shouldn’t be doing it to Obama. Challenge him on substantive things. This area calls for grace.
samuelrylander on April 1, 2009 at 12:39 PM
Did everybody else miss that? Am I imagining it?
What?!
I mean, it’s not just me, right? That’s absurd beyond belief.
Oathkeeper216 on April 1, 2009 at 1:20 PM
So true. Seems like he figures his audience is completely stoned and will simply groove on his monotonous thoughtless drone…oh,wait…
Maquis on April 1, 2009 at 4:05 PM
I miss thinking Obama was an incompetent socialist.
darktood on April 1, 2009 at 11:29 PM
“Instead, there should be a “can he back up that statement” or “where’s the proof” segment instead of an “obamateurism” segment. This is petty. And the same reason it was silly (and wrong) for the dems to be doing this to Bush is the same reason we shouldn’t be doing it to Obama. Challenge him on substantive things. This area calls for grace.
samuelrylander”
I am not an American, I am an Australian but I have relatives in the USA.
It is when Obummer says things like “we owe the U.K” that makes people stop and think: “what is this person talking about?” It is the other way around historically. It was the USA who came into both great wars of the 20th century who did the rescuing of GB (the UK), not the other way around. I doubt that the UK could have defeated Hitler without the help of the Americans. At the same time the USA needed the British and Australians to defeat the Japanese. However, the British have not done anything to merit that kind of talk.
I was no fan of Carter but even he did not make these gaffes. I am no fan of Clinton either, but Obummer makes Clinton look extremely experienced. As for GW Bush, he would have to be the most underrated President for his intelligence. Over the past 8 years there had been a litany of his supposed gaffes etc. etc. I saw a number of charges from lefties and their ilk that made no sense because the things said just did not gel to what I was hearing and reading in the press. In other words a lot of things were being said that were totally untrue. I continue to see some of those lies about Bush. The most obvious lie is about religious affiliation for George Bush when viewed dispassionately was not into Armageddon. Not once did I ever hear Bush make the kind of statements that would have placed him as the type who wanted to bring on the end of the world.
On the other hand, Obama has done and said things over such a short period of time, that the rest of the world leaders very likely are laughing behind his back. He is presenting the USA as having weak leadership. His overtures to Iran are thoughtless. His overtures to Afghanistan and the Taliban could backfire in a spectacular fashion. The SOS is a complete fool. I would never have thought that she could be that stupid, and I am glad that she did not end up as President.
It is a pity that the level of candidates in the field for POTUS were so bad that the wrong person ended up in the role. My comment has nothing to do with skin colour. To me it is all about his lack of experience. He had none in government. He did not have one single leadership role that made him qualified for such an important role. He brings shame upon the USA. He is not intelligent and it is a lie to call this man intelligent. Where is the proof that he got anything other than a very mediocre grade through his studies?
maggieo on April 2, 2009 at 1:53 AM