1. Joe Biden's Swine Flu Hysteria
"I would tell members of my family, and I have, I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places right now. It's not that it's going to Mexico. It's that you are in a confined aircraft. When one person sneezes, it goes everywhere through the aircraft. That's me."
— Vice President Joe Biden, on NBC's Today show, giving his advice on dealing with the swine flu outbreak, which seemed to contradict the Administration's advice to the public (April 30)
The official word from the White House that week was that the swine flu outbreak was not a cause for alarm. Then came Biden, suggesting on national TV that people avoid planes, subways and classrooms to keep from catching the bug. Biden's press team quickly sent out a statement after the interview claiming that he was trying to warn people who already had swine flu to avoid enclosed spaces, and White House press secretary Robert Gibbs at his daily briefing apologized on Biden's behalf.
2. Barack Obama's Bowling Blooper
"This is like Special Olympics or something."
—
President Barack Obama, on
The Tonight Show, referring to his pitiful bowling game (March 13)
Even before the interview aired, Obama apologized for implicitly poking fun at the disabled. On the plane back to Washington, the President called Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to say how sorry he was and to offer to have some Special Olympics competitors over to the White House for basketball or bowling. Meanwhile, Obama's staff tried to limit the damage in the press, and Shriver went on national TV to say there were no hard feelings. But even before Obama made the slipup, the idea of a lighthearted late-night appearance was seen as something of a risk for the President during harsh economic times.
3. Joe Wilson's Unwanted Outburst
"You lie!"
— Republican South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson, interrupting President Obama's health care address before a joint session of Congress after he said the legislative reforms would not apply to illegal immigrants (Sept. 9)
Basic civility isn't usually an issue when the President speaks before a joint session of Congress. If lawmakers like what he's saying, they cheer. If they don't, they remain seated or grumble under their breath. Which is why Wilson's loud break in decorum caused such a stir and had members of his party denouncing the remark.
Shortly after the incident, Wilson called the White House to apologize and issued a statement calling his comments "inappropriate and regrettable." The next day, Obama publicly accepted his apology.
But it might have been too late for Wilson. Less than 24 hours later, his likely 2010 Democratic challenger had already raised more than $200,000, and within a few days, he was being lampooned on Saturday Night Live. Then again, in taking on Obama so directly, Wilson also became a hero to many conservative activists.
4. Hillary Clinton Gets Lost in Translation
"We want to reset our relationship ... We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?"
— Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, handing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a gift-wrapped reset button just before he informed her that the word on the button in fact translated to "overcharged" (March 6)
Clinton and her aides should have checked the Russian dictionary before presenting Lavrov with a gift meant to symbolize a new chapter in U.S.-Russia relations. Clinton tried to laugh it off when Lavrov called her out and told her what the word actually meant. Clinton followed up with, "We won't let you do that to us, I promise." The White House later fixed the error and resent the gift.
5. Michael Steele's Abortion Aberration
"I see the power of life in that — I mean, and the power of choice! The thing to keep in mind about it ... Uh, you
know, I think as a country we get off on these misguided conversations that throw around terms that really misrepresent truth ... I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice."
— Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele, in an interview with GQ, mistakenly echoing the language of the abortions-rights movement (Feb. 24)
The gaffe wouldn't have been so bad if Steele hadn't spent months trying to convince the Republican Party that he was a "pro-life Roman Catholic conservative" who deserved to be at the helm. But after being elevated to the top, Steele started saying some questionable things, leading some in the party to call for his resignation. Steele tried to backtrack from this mistake and ended up lying low until it blew over — at which point he made new gaffes.
6. Larry Summers' White House Sleepover
"One thing to note is that Summers appeared to be nodding off near the beginning of Obama's remarks. And then he did nod off, doing the head-on-the-hand and then head-falling-off-the-hand thing. Photogs seemed to be having a field day. All other officials in the room appeared fully awake."
— White House pool report, breaking the news that Obama's chief economic adviser was caught catching some z's during a high-profile meeting at the White House with credit-card-industry officials (April 23)
It wasn't the first time Summers had fallen asleep on the job: he reportedly dozed off in February during an economic summit at the White House. But this time it was when his boss, President Obama, was speaking — and there were cameras to document it, making the nap a bit more embarrassing. But Summers isn't the only public figure to fall asleep with the cameras rolling. He joins the ranks of Bill Clinton, who fell asleep during an MLK Day speech last year, and Ronald Reagan, who famously dozed off while meeting with the Pope.
7. Barack Obama Opens the Floodgates
"I think it's fair to say, No. 1, any of us would be pretty angry; No. 2, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home."
—
President Obama, at a prime-time news conference, responding to a question about the arrest of Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. (July 22)
By answering the question candidly, Obama elevated the mostly local racial controversy to front-page national news. Cambridge law enforcement objected to Obama's comments and called for an apology, forcing Obama to backtrack on his remarks and instead say he hoped it would become a "teachable moment."
The whole situation ended about a week later with the infamous White House "beer summit," in which Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Gates and arresting officer Sergeant James Crowley sat down for some friendly brewskis and apparently worked the whole thing out.
8. Joe Biden's Stimulus Stumble
"If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, there's still a 30% chance we're going to get it wrong."
— Vice President Joe Biden, speaking to members of the House Democratic caucus who were gathered in Williamsburg, Va., for their annual retreat (Feb. 6)
Biden may have gotten a big promotion on Jan. 20, but he proved early on in his term that he was still the same old gaffe-prone politician. Speaking to his former Capitol Hill colleagues at the annual retreat, he was a little too candid about how the Democratic Party could face major political repercussions in 2010 for its support of the $900 billion economic-stimulus package. He said the quote while recalling a White House meeting with President Obama and senior aides — something that probably wasn't expected to leave the room. The White House later dismissed the remark, with Obama quipping at a prime-time press conference, "I don't remember exactly what Joe was referring to, not surprisingly."
9. Sarah Palin's Coin Conspiracy
"It's a disturbing trend. Who calls a shot like that? Who makes a decision like that?"
— Former Alaska governor
Sarah Palin, during a closed press speech to a Wisconsin right-to-life group, implying that President Obama was responsible for attempting to move the phrase "In God We Trust" from the center to the edge of the dollar coin (Nov. 6)
Palin should know by now that shutting out the media doesn't mean they will stay away. Despite the event's being closed to the press, reporters found a way to buy tickets to it — and made sure not to let her get away with the gaffe of the evening.
The most peculiar thing about Palin's rant on the government's attempt to no longer prominently display "In God We Trust" on national currency, which echoed similar gripes circulating among conservatives, was that Obama had nothing to do with it. The new coins were commissioned by the 2005 Republican Congress and approved by President George W. Bush.
10. Michelle Obama's Buckingham Brush with Etiquette
"No one — including the ladies-in-waiting standing nearby — could believe their eyes. In 57 years, the Queen has never been seen to make that kind of gesture and it is certainly against all protocol to touch her."
— The Daily Mail, quoting a person who witnessed First Lady Michelle Obama touch the Queen of England (April 1)
The British tabloids went nuts when the First Lady briefly put her hand on the back of Queen Elizabeth II during the Obamas' official visit to England. It wasn't the first time royal etiquette had gotten a politician into trouble. In 2000, Australian Prime Minister John Howard got plenty of criticism for apparently putting his arm around the Queen to direct her through a crowd.
However, many said the First Lady's move wasn't a breach of protocol and that she made the gesture only after the Queen had placed her hand on the First Lady's back as part of their conversation. And Buckingham Palace dismissed the controversy, calling it a "mutual and spontaneous display of affection."
Time
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