Commenters in the previous thread assure me that they’re not outraged at Obama’s joke, they’re merely outraged at the double standard conservatives are held to when they say something impolitic. Let’s see how many stick to that position in this one. A thousand comments or bust, baby!

“I was shocked to learn of the comment made by President Obama about Special Olympics,” Governor Palin said. “This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world.

“These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will. By the way, these athletes can outperform many of us and we should be proud of them. I hope President Obama’s comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community.”

Exit question: Any wild guesses as to how the media will report this tonight? Here’s a hint from yesterday’s ADN: “The biggest single chunk of money that Palin is turning down is about $170 million for education, including money that would go for programs to help economically disadvantaged and special needs students.”

Update: Maria Shriver chips in too:

In a statement this morning, Shriver said, “While I am confident that President Obama never intended to offend anyone, the response that his comments have caused, coupled with the reaction of a primetime audience, demonstrate the need to continue to educate the non-disabled community on the issues that confront those with a developmental disability.”

“Often times we don’t realize that when we laugh at comments like this it hurts millions of people throughout the world,” added Shriver.