WWTBAM Bored

The talk shows and possibly the internet fever swamps are buzzing about Obama's 57 state gaffe a few months ago. The buzz is that there are 57 Islamic states and the slip shows his Islamic leanings.

My comment is actually non-political and I give him a break on this one and I do not think it shows he is a Muslim. But I think the slip may indicate some of how and what he was taught in Indonesia.

It is well-documented that he attended a Muslim school in Indonesia. My thought is that much of the learnings in that school was likely geared towards rote memorization and the slip was because of that. His brain farted and out came a childhood learned memory.

Very old news:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/57states.asp

Bob Juch wrote:Very old news:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/57states.asp

Did you read my post-I said it was several months ago.

However, it has come up a lot lately in the context of the 57 Islamic states. IE a caller on the Michael Reagan show last night.

My comment is more related to the possible rote learning style that lead to the gaffe.

I would bet pretty good money that even if he was reverting to rote memorization as taught in whatever school he attended, that there were not 57 Muslim states at the time he attended it. Snopes points out that the number even today is considered pretty fluid. I also would be skeptical that Indonesian elementary schools would stress the number of Muslim states at all.

By hypothesizing about causes, you are taking the possibility that it was something more than merely a verbal slip seriously. So whether you mean it as political or not, it is. Reagan slipped and said "facts are stupid things." Firebreathing left-wingers treat that as if it had some concealed motivation, too. And Reagan merely had old age (and perhaps early-stage Alzheimer's) to blame for his slip. Obama was finishing a grueling campaign swing, and probably jonesing for a Marlboro, too.

No doubt Obama was thinking of John Kerry and hoping he doesn't suffer the same fate.

It's outrageous! Unthinkable!! He should be taken out back and shot!!!1

These are tough times and we need somebody in the Oval Office who is smooth, eloquent, beyond reproach and, above all, never ever misspeaks!

You know, like the guy in there now.