The Austrian language

[LA Ute]

Did anyone notice that Obama stated, while speaking in Austria, that he does "not know how 'wheelin' and dealin' translates into Austrian?"

I thought that was kind of funny. I know that had Bush (who once referred to the "Grecians") said the same thing it would be the top joke on the Daily show, and I know Bush deserved that. Still, it's fun to hear The Smartest and Most Well-Educated Man Who Has Ever Been President makes gaffes like that.

(BTW, I can think of lots of presidents at least as bright as Pres. Obama seems to be. Madison, Jefferson, both Adamses, to start with. Also, many really smart men have been failures as president. Nixon and Carter, for example.)

[PaloAltoCougar]

Did anyone notice that Obama stated, while speaking in Austria, that he does "not know how 'wheelin' and dealin' translates into Austrian?"

I thought that was kind of funny. I know that had Bush (who once referred to the "Grecians") said the same thing it would be the top joke on the Daily show, and I know Bush deserved that. Still, it's fun to hear The Smartest and Most Well-Educated Man Who Has Ever Been President makes gaffes like that.

(BTW, I can think of lots of presidents at least as bright as Pres. Obama seems to be. Madison, Jefferson, both Adamses, to start with. Also, many really smart men have been failures as president. Nixon and Carter, for example.)

Having served my mission there, I was dismayed to learn I was apparently speaking the wrong language. Imagine how much more success I would have seen had the LTM/MTC back then been more helpful.

But presidential gaffes can sometimes be beneficial. When committed only ocasionally, they're endearing. See, e.g., JFK's "Ich bin ein Berliner!", which translates as "I am a jelly roll!", but the Germans knew what he meant, thought the mistake was funny, and they loved the guy. As a basically decent and personable fellow, W had the potential to evoke similar reactions, but after years of screw-ups (both linguisitically and substantively), most people grew tired of his schtick. It will be interesting to see how Obama fares in the years ahead, although on the adoration scale he's currently closer to JFK than to W.