Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Obama, and the Special Olympics

Eunice Kennedy Shriver passed away yesterday.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 88, a member of a political dynasty who devoted her life to improving the welfare of mentally disabled people and founded the Special Olympics to showcase their abilities, died Tuesday at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Mass. She had had strokes during the past year, a family spokesman said.

Shriver, a sister of President John F. Kennedy and Sens. Robert F. Kennedy and Edward M. Kennedy, was credited with playing a major role in changing the perception of mental retardation. When she began her work in the field half a century ago, it was common for mentally disabled people to be placed in institutions that did little more than warehouse them. Through Shriver's programs and hands-on efforts, she demonstrated that with appropriate help, most developmentally disabled people can lead productive and useful lives.

Obama released this statement on the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver:

Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Eunice was many things to many people: a mother who inspired her children to serve others; a wife who supported her husband Sargent in the Peace Corps and in politics; and a sister to her siblings, including brothers John, Robert, and Edward. But above all, she will be remembered as the founder of the Special Olympics, as a champion for people with intellectual disabilities, and as an extraordinary woman who, as much as anyone, taught our nation – and our world – that no physical or mental barrier can restrain the power of the human spirit. Her leadership greatly enriched the lives of Special Olympians throughout the world, who have experienced the pride and joy of competition and achievement thanks to her vision. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sargent; their children Robert, Maria, Timothy, Mark, and Anthony; and the entire Kennedy family.

I wonder who composed that statement.

It's rather awkward for Obama to praise Eunice Kennedy Shriver for her tremendous work with Special Olympics, given that Obama used Special Olympians as fodder for a "joke" when he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, March 19, 2009.

Here's the very, very insensitive, cruel exchange:

MR. LENO: Now, are they going to put a basketball –- I imagine the bowling alley has been just burned and closed down.

MR. OBAMA: No, no. I have been practicing all –- (laughter.)

MR. LENO: Really? Really?

MR. OBAMA: I bowled a 129. (Laughter and applause.)

MR. LENO: No, that's very good. Yes. That's very good, Mr. President.

MR. OBAMA: It's like -- it was like Special Olympics, or something. (Laughter.)

MR. LENO: No, that's very good.

MR. OBAMA: No, listen, I'm making progress on the bowling, yes.

Absolutely disgusting.

The White House made a bit of an effort at damage control after Obama revealed this incredibly ugly side of himself on national TV.

From Politico:

After comparing his bowling to the Special Olympics on "The Tonight Show" Thursday, President Obama called Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver to apologize before the program even aired.

“He expressed his disappointment and he apologized, in a way that was very moving,” Shriver said on ABC's “Good Morning America.” “It’s important to see that words hurt, and words do matter. And these words that in some respect can be seen as humiliating or a put-down of people with special needs do cause pain, and they do result in stereotypes."

Obama told Shriver he wants to have some Special Olympics competitors over to the White House for basketball or bowling.

More, from USA Today.

It's been five months since Obama told Shriver he would invite Special Olympics athletes over to the White House.

Has Obama made good on that offer?

No.

Here's an interesting update on the matter, from The Guardian, July 9, 2009:

Previously an academic specialising in the social and emotional factors of learning, Shriver probably knows better than most that it can be counterproductive to preach — particularly when addressing your country's new commander-in-chief: "It was a tough experience for all of us in the field of intellectual disability, and Special Olympics in particular, because nobody wants to be in a situation where we're scolding, or perceived to be scolding, the president of the United States or a major political figure."

Obama offered to have some Special Olympic athletes to visit the White House to play his favourite sport, basketball, or bowling, one the president has perhaps had enough of — but to date nothing has happened: "We have not had a specific event yet where the president can interact with Special Olympics athletes yet, but we're hopeful. He has been busy."

So when Obama was in hot water for his disgraceful mocking of the Special Olympics, he made a big deal about how he was going to host the Special Olympic athletes at the White House.

It turns out he just hasn't found the time.

However, on national TV during a prime time news conference, when Obama really stepped in it by declaring the "Cambridge police acted stupidly," he quickly organized that lame Beer Summit, inviting Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley to the White House.

The Special Olympians are still waiting for their invite, promised by Obama all those months ago, to materialize.

It's very nice that Obama released a statement on the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

But if he really wanted to honor her, he would make good on his promise to have Special Olympics athletes over to the White House.

I hope Obama reflects on his attitude toward people with "intellectual disabilities."

I hope he loses the arrogance and sick perspective he harbors that provided the source for those inexcusable remarks he made about the Special Olympics five months ago.

The best way to honor Mrs. Shriver is by truly respecting the individuals she championed through Special Olympics.