Obama apologizes to Nancy Reagan for seance quip

Of course our former first lady did use astrology to make the Presidents schedule. But Reagan was such a hero to so many it was overlooked. I find it ridiculous and am surprised extreme right wing religious types didn't rebel since they are not fond of astrology or speaking with the dead, or crazy things like that. I find his reference funny, even if it was Hillary that did it. I guess making it to the White House makes you go batty. But I really don't see Michelle Obama speaking to the dead or checking her horoscope any time soon. What a great choice we have finally made in this country! Actual, normal folk like us in the White House.

yawn

Barack, you are the BEST!!!

We LOVE YOU!

All I can say is we are in for it! If you think things are bad now just wait!

nice start!

President-elect Obama is such an eloquent speaker, but has a very hard time with humor. His staff''s first mission should be to enlist some help for our new President in teaching him how and when to be effectively humorous. JFK was a master at disarming opponents with his wry sense of humor. If President Obama could be as able with humor as Kennedy, he would win even more support.

Nancy is probably not upset about the Obama comment. Hey! Can't we start joking again? I am African American, my friends are mostly white. I have lived in Sweden for 20 years, and they can't joke about anything, unless drunk to the bone, and even then, it is not funny. I believe in humor. I believe in this great country. We have not elected a black man, we have, or will, put in a guy with big ears who sometimes looks like Alfred E. Newman--Mad comic book dude. And the women love him, and when you have them on your team, you can't go wrong.

Jerry Harris
Chico, California

Watch the clip. He stumbles after he mentions Clinton as if he can't name any other living presidents. This guy is an idiot without a teleprompter. I can't wait for 1/20/13.

I'm glad that Mr Obama proactively called Mrs Reagan to apologize for very poor attempt at humor. I can't remember the last time any elected official admitted doing something stupid within hours of saying it!!! It really was an inappropriate comment that really came out of the blue. My hope is that with the magnitude of the crisis OUR nation is facing that Obama's comments are not used by those on the far right as a weapon of mass division. Now more than ever...for the sake of OUR country...we all need to work towards the repair and survival of America.

1st of many more to come.

Big deal. Turns out Ronald Reagan was crippled by Alzheimer's, and his wife ran the United States by consulting an astrologer. That's whacked. It's very much not OK- and it's about time someone called them on it.

America began it's decline from being the most powerful nation on Earth because of Reagan's policies that started the slow, steady gutting of the Middle Class.

As some one who didn't vote for Obama, I take this as a positive sign. Apologizing when you are wrong is a hallmark of a decent person.

These are very disappointing comments from Obama. In fact, they are outrageous. These are the type of mis-steps that will weaken his Presidency. This was far more grave mistake than most know.

At some point - and I hope it's soon - Barack Obama is going to have to grow up and realise he needs to act presidential and stop approaching public addresses in such a glib manner.

Why should he apologize? Nancy Reagan often consulted with an Astrologist.

Christians believe in some wacky stuff, so its funny to the rest of us when they laugh-off the spirituality of others. I've gotten advice from family and friends in spirit. No big whoop. Obama SHOULD talk to some dead presidents. It would probably do some good.

White House officals were absolutely right. The 'spiritual adviser' is, I believe, the great Jean Houston, pioneer of human potential.

Though Hilary was consulting with Jean Houston seances or anything related to the occult is certainly not what Houston does. Only those ignorant of her work could possibly think so.

I was stunned years ago to hear of Hilary Clinton's association with Houston being criticized. And to hear Houston described as 'spiritual adviser' is remarkable as it seems to me to imply something akin to religion. Jean Houston is about SCIENCE. The science of human potential and she's FABULOUS.

Much of Houston's work has been done with athletes to improve performance and it's been proven to be very effective.

The subconsicous mind cannot differentiate between real and imagined experience. We can either benefit or be hindered in our functioning by things that actually are not.

Having an 'imaginary conversation' with an once-living person to gain access to knowledge which is actually in one's own head is very far from being even closely related to a seance. It is nothing more than a way to build bridges in one's mind to better and more powerful functioning.

Houston early on in her book, The Possible Human, refers to conversations Edgar Bergen had with Charlie McCarthy, famous ventriloquist had with his wooden headed companion which she witnessed as a child. Bergen considered that puppet the wisest person in the world. Bergen was accessing his subconscious via those conversations sidestepping blocks he had in his conscious mind.

I have NO doubt Houston was doing with Hilary absolutely nothing more weird that that. Absolutely nothing more occutist than that and nothing any one with any understanding of the functions of the mind, or Houston's work, would have any trouble understanding.

Thank you for the opportunity to express this as I was very dismayed to have heard of Professor Houston's work being maligned, and Clinton's association with her being interpreted as bizzare, as surely was the ignorance-based intent.

As for Obama, I believe he simply doesn't differentiate between astrology and seances as both are considered by many as 'occultist' though I've no idea why his remark about seances, clearly amusing to him, wasn't more general is unfortunate. I'm really hoping we are not going to hear about that forever.

Obama should go meet with Nancy Reagan and get her to talk about how Ronald Reagan used humor to his advantage. I can't think of any recent President who got more mileage out of humor than Reagan, which I am sure Nancy Reagan has some interesting observations about.

Obama's jokes are not bad and I suspect will improve as the months go by. Yesterday must have been a somewhat overwhelming day for him as he realized that he really had done it, that the buck really did stop with him. If he babbled a bit, that's probably to be expected under the circumstances. I suspect most other people would be jibbering right about now.

Reagan screwed up the country ALMOST as bad as Bush. And his wife was a wack job. Obama is a decent human being.

Tannerjack, please. The man precisely spoke of the economic urgency facing this country and the immediate remedial steps he's eager to take. His first press conference is being hailed as one in which Obama's deft ability to confidently handle enormous pressure was on display. Since you missed all of that, perhaps it's because you're more comfortable with a candidate who's unable to name the NAFTA countries or one who doesn't realize that Africa is a continent.

The reporter's question was innocuous enough, but I understand Obama's humourous reply. It appears that when Obama began his answer he fumbled his words. He initially responded by saying "living presidents". When he recognized the absurdity of what he just said, then he tried to cover it up with an off-hand joke. For such an eloquent and intelligent speaker, I was more surprised by the initial response rather than the poor attempt at a joke. We all try to pull off jokes to save face. But I wonder more about the sub-conciousness motivation that would make him say "living presidents" in response to a very simple question.

There you go. Obama has to retract what he just said again. Who said he was a fast learner? He's been mingling with the press for a year now, and he still makes ugly mistakes. Well, he has two more months to practice, but my expectations are low.

English is not my first language . Am I right that the remark could also be understood in a way that is hardly offensive to mrs. Reagan? If you interpret "get into a Nancy Reagan thing" not as "doing seances" but "getting into media scrutiny" (which she did because of the astrologer) and if you read "doing any seances" not as stating that she did so but as imagining that he were to do so, the remark would rather mean something like "I didn't want to get into a Nancy Reagan thing (i.e. media scrutiny) about, you know, doing (i.e. himself) any seances".

Some times it's best to face reality, and the reality is Obama is the president now. I did not vote for Obama because he is a Socialist but now that he is the President, I will respect him. All of us conservatives are upset, but hey when you have president that nominates Harriet Miers, tried to lease out American Ports to Dubai, and tried to ram down illegal immigration down our throats, in addition to John McCain not ever being a conservative till he needed us; I think our anger shouldn't be at Obama but the REPUBLICAN leadership which I am not for posing to be conservatives. Not only Bush and McCain, but also our beloved radio guys, Rush, Savage, Glenn Beck, I mean they basically hated McCain before the primaries but after it became a real chance that a Socialist could win they tried to get us to vote for McCain, EFF THAT. Therefore I went into that booth, voted a straight ticket and wrote in the Presidential. I could not in my fiber vote for McCain nor Obama although im in Texas and my vote was almost meaningless as McCain would win. My challenge to all my conservatives, THANK BUSH, MCAIN, TALK RADIO. YES i still love talk radio. I will always support the BIG 3. O'Reilly and Hannity can go suck on a lemon

The best way conservatives have to win is by LETTING SOCIALIST policies run it's course for the next 8 yrs. If I was a senator or congressman, I would not oppose not one single Liberal idea. I wouldnt vote for it but I just wouldn't oppose it. Therefore at the end, when stuff is all screwed up which it will be your hands could be totally clean

I don't believe its a question of SOCIALISM, but of ECONOMICS. Most of us are all linked together economically; that's why Obama got elected. But, fundamentally, I agree with you, and I'm one of the those liberals from Massachusetts, so go figure! :)

Americans don't know anything about democracy, let a lone socialism. If they knew, the great majority-- exploited by the cold capitalists, would embrace socialism-- especially when they are the next ones in the bread line.

Jerry Harris
Chico, California