Obama Says He's Been in 57 States

Barack Obama is NOT smarter than a fifth grader.



Andrew Malcolm, from the Los Angeles Times, writes:

Ah, Oregon. The beautiful Northwest. Rain. Trees. Clouds. Rain. Friendly territory for Sen. Barack Obama, the leading contender for the Democratic Party's long-disputed presidential nomination.

So there he was in Beaverton today at the start of a two-day swing through Oregon, virtually ignoring his remaining Democratic opponent, what's-her-name from New York, as part of his new strategy to act like the actual nominee while she flails around way behind in numbers.

Naturally, this being the Northwest where everything is not ruined quite yet, his staff had Obama visit an eco-friendly company, Vernier Software & Technology, that makes products for science teachers. He could get education in there too, see?

In his prepared remarks Obama was ready to start blasting Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, to show the Illinois Democrat is moving on to the general election campaign.

But first the freshman senator had to go through all the obligatory delighted to see you, delighted to be here part of stump speeches that also require that you actually know where you are.

Obama pulled that off O.K. But then he drifted away from the text a tad, as rookies are wont to do sometimes, forgetting how exhausting this primary process is and should be. And trusting in their instincts, their very tired instincts.

"It is wonderful to be back in Oregon," Obama said. "Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."

The Times' conscientious Robin Abcarian thought she heard something different there. She checked her tape recorder. It had captured what he had actually said -- 57 states now.

Wow. Obama really seems to be "losing his bearings."

The oh so eloquent Obama addressed his mistake later in the day.

(UPDATE: At a later stop Obama was talking with reporters and expressed concern he'd also mis-stated the number of potential cyclone victims in Burma. He said, "I hope I said 100,000 people the first time instead of 100 million. I understand I said there were 57 states today. It's a sign that my numeracy is getting a little, uh." At that point, an aide cut him off and ushered journalists out. Before he could mis-speak again?)

"My numeracy is getting a little, uh...."

The guy can't even get out a sentence.

You know, he's not really very good at thinking on his feet. He stammers a lot.

It's kind of funny that Obama is dreaming of 57 states, actually adding states to the Union, when he wants the Dem nomination for president to be decided by only 48 states.

Obama must be dead tired. To say that there are 57 states is so bizarre. It's really an odd, almost impossible, mistake to make.

I know he doesn't like to wear a flag pin. He seems to have an aversion to flags, but perhaps someone should give him a nice big one and he can count the stars.

I'm kidding, of course. It seems that Obama was on auto-pilot when he was speaking. He must be completely exhausted to slip up like that. I am more than willing to cut him some slack. I believe he knows that there are 50 states.

BUT--

Think of what the reaction would be if John McCain said:

"Over the last 15 months, we’ve traveled to every corner of the United States. I’ve now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it."

The Left and the lib media would be all over it. They would say McCain was showing his age. The rigors of a presidential campaign are too much for the old man. Surely, he must be senile. Absolutely no one in one's right mind could say that there were more than 50 states, right?

But according to Obama, he's been in 57 states with one left to go, and he wasn't allowed to visit Alaska and Hawaii. Going by Obama's "numeracy," America is made up of 60 states!

Can you imagine if President Bush said something like that? The Lefties would be speculating that he's hitting the bottle.

The fact is Obama made a mistake, a very, VERY embarrassing mistake.

Yes, he lost his bearings, and he lost them big time.

Do I think from now on Obama should forever be associated with referring to the 57+ states of America?

No.

Of course after all these years, Dan Quayle is still trying to live down the "potatoe" thing.

Something tells me Obama won't suffer the same sort of perpetual ridicule.